Forest ecosystems are crucial to maintaining countless diverse but inter-connected systems that sustain people’s livelihoods, replenish water sources, and nurture biodiversity, which all combine to form important parts of a healthy environment.
Deforestation has a direct negative impact on these dependent/connected systems because in addition to causing destruction of biodiversity, drying of water sources and soil erosion, it also directly impacts forest communities.
This then creates new inequalities and exacerbates existing ones since people lose their primary livelihood means, their territories, as well as the socio-cultural activities deeply linked to their forests. Often, Indigeneous/Marginalized/Socially Excluded & rural women are disproportionately affected by forest loss given their daily roles and practices that depend on healthy forest ecosystems. Ultimately this leads to a disproportionate increase in women’s burden of work, both reproductive and productive.
Indigeneous/Marginalized/Socially Excluded & Women in all their diversity experience marginalization in multiple and intersecting ways, depending on their social and economic status, ethnicity, age, class, sexual orientation and gender identity, amongst others. They face systemic barriers from higher social, economic and patriarchal norms that exclude them from decision-making to discriminatory laws and practices that prevent their access to land and forests.
Extractive activities supported by a capitalist economic system that privileges GDP growth and corporations over people’s welfare and healthy ecosystems leads to degradation of forests and the violation of Indigeneous/Marginalized/Socially Excluded & women’s rights. Consequently, it is integral to analyse the gender-differentiated impacts of the drivers of deforestation and to promote women’s rights in forest conservation policies. Mt. Everest Forest Botanicals Alliance collaborates with local Indigeneous/Marginalized/Socially Excluded & women’s groups and communities to research and understand the impacts of deforestation at the community level as well as documenting community-based and women-led initiatives and solutions to halt biodiversity loss. Capacity building from local to global levels on gender-responsive forest policies and women’s rights, decision-making and participation in forest conservation is also a key strategy of Mt. Everest Forest Botanicals Alliance.
Together with indigeneous advocacy, civil liberty right groups/ feminist movements and women’s networks at the local, regional, national and international multi-lateral levels, the Mt. Everest Forest Botanicals Alliance advocates for Indigeneous/Marginalized/Socially Excluded & women’s rights and gender-responsive forest conservation policies. Mt. Everest Forest Botanicals Alliance aspires to works with the Women’s Major Group (WMG)on sustainable development as well as tracking developments at UN Environment processes. Mt. Everest Forest Botanicals Alliance seeks to seek partnership with the #Women2030 Programme, which works towards promoting gender-responsive implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals.
Millions of people worldwide use forests and trees as direct sources of food and income, but its use and the benefits derived, often differ between women and men. Understanding and taking into account gender specific differences in the interaction with forests is not only essential for sustainable forest management, it is vital for increasing the contribution of forests to sustainable livelihoods.
Women often bear the primary responsibility for feeding their families, collecting, processing, cooking, rationing and storing food. In many developing countries, women collect and prepare highly nutritious forest foods to complement and add flavour to the staples of family meals. In addition, income generated by women from the harvesting of non-wood forest products (NWFPs) adds to the purchasing power of households and therefore their food security. Men, on the other hand, are more likely than women to be responsible for collecting wild honey, birds’ eggs and insects, for hunting and fishing, and for the commercial exploitation of a forest’s wood resources.
Actions to incorporate gender concerns include: the collection of gender-disaggregated data to monitor gender roles in the sector; the advocacy of governance systems that provide secure forest tenure for women and men; research and knowledge-building to explore and increase the understanding of gender-specific roles, needs and dynamics in the forest sector; the application of gender analyses and gender sensitive participatory approaches in projects and programmes; attention to gender in capacity-building initiatives; gender mainstreaming in policies and laws; the promotion of gender equality in forest enterprises and institutions; and the sensitisation of all stakeholders on gender issues in forestry.
The important role women play in forestry is well recognized internationally. Yet, the full contributions of women have not been realized.
Although the policy environment for addressing gender inequality has improved over the past decade, women continue to be disadvantaged by insecure property rights and limited access to forest, trees and land resources. They also suffer from discrimination and bias in the provision of services, including credit and technology, and are often excluded from decision-making at household, community and national levels.
Gender mainstreaming continues to be an on-going initiative in MEFBA’s work to help Alliance members overcome challenges in achieving gender equality.
Empowering women in the forestry sector can create significant development opportunities and generate important additional benefits for their households and communities, particularly in rural areas. Given their knowledge and roles of forests and the forestry sector, women need to be sufficiently represented in relevant institutions, accepted as stakeholders with specific views and interests, and empowered to have a say in transformative decisions. In order to empower women in the forestry sector it is necessary to: advocate for good governance systems which provide secure tenure for women; collect gender disaggregated data to monitor gender roles in the sector; implement gender in capacity building activities; carry out knowledge building activities aimed at understanding gender-specific roles, needs and dynamics; analyse the potential entry points for gender components in projects and programmes; and circulate important data and facts related to gender in the forests and forestry sector.
The Asia and the Pacific region is one of the most vulnerable regions to climate change impacts in the world. Women are extremely sensitive to these changes given their lack of access to essential resources such as land, finance or information. Because the nexus between gender and climate change is often underestimated, UN Women and UN Environment jointly created the EmPower project. Targeting Bangladesh, Cambodia and Vietnam, along these lines MEBFA aims to build women’s resilience facing climate change in Nepal.
According to the 2016 World Risk Report, 10 out of the 15 most at risk countries to climate change and disasters are in Asia and the Pacific. The region combines high exposure to frequent and damaging natural hazards with a low capacity to manage the resulting risks.
Climate change and climate-induced disasters remain the largest threat to the achievement of global sustainable development today. When disasters hit, often women and girls face secondary negative impacts such as gender-based violence, forced marriage and human trafficking.
The capacities, skills, and resources that women, girls and other diverse groups possess in effectively addressing climate change often go untapped due to stereotypes. The devaluation of their knowledge results in their exclusion from decision-making at household and community level.
The time is now to give a platform for women and marginalized groups to use their voices, agency and leadership and collaborate with men to build resilience and secure sustainable development. In this context, UN Women and UN Environment jointly initiated the EmPower project, Mt. Everest Forest Botanicals Alliance will focus on, along with many governmental, non-governmental and civil society organization partners, towards the following five goals:
At the national and regional level, MEFBA will partner with regional organizations and civil society organisations to foster greater awareness and collaboration for gender equality, climate change, and disaster risk reduction-related policies and programmes. By facilitating dialogues, leveraging existing platforms, building greater evidence on the links between these themes, MEFBA will seeks to influence regional decision-making, strengthen gender-responsive climate and disaster risk reduction policies and decisions and promote a greater exchange of innovative solutions that women, men and marginalized groups can lead in the region.