Gender and Biodiversity Conservation

Source: Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, 2013, Ariela Summit, Ecoagriculture Partners,   "The Youth Guide to Biodiversity" 1st Edition (Chapter 11) Youth and United Nations Global Alliance. Reproduced with permission.

Chapter 11. Verbatim.

In their role in the domestic sphere, and often as the primary caregiver in one-parent families, women have a central role in conserving plant genetic resources. Often, the work they do in this area is undervalued because no money changes hands in domestic transactions. Kitchen gardens maintained by wives, mothers and daughters provide an important source of micronutrients through leafy vegetables and herbs. In lean years, wild plants can be an important supplemental source of calories.

Women also hold much of the knowledge about which varieties of native species can be used for medicinal purposes, and how to prepare them safely and effectively. Lastly, women in sub-Saharan Africa, as well as indigenous societies in Latin America and the Pacific, are often directly responsible for crop production, and in this role also manage seed storage, preservation and exchange. Conserving and sustainably using biodiversity and sharing its benefits requires an understanding of and consideration for the connections between gender and biodiversity (see box: “Connections betweenGender and Biodiversity”). Successful strategies for biodiversity conservation must make a special effort to include women and indigenous people.

Because  men and urban populations tend to have more power, education and outreach about biodiversity must be specifically targeted at those who traditionally have less of a voice and control over natural resources. To make sure that these groups are included in planning, a certain number of spots can be reserved for them on political committees or biodiversity project boards. If women cannot attend because of their responsibilities in the home, arrangements must be made for childcare. 

To include those who cannot read, educational material can be made available in other formats. In many ways, indigenous people and women have the greatest stake in preserving biodiversity, because their livelihoods directly depend on it. Thus, efforts at biodiversity conservation that also improve livelihoods have the strongest chances of success.