WHY WOMEN?
Nature is in crisis, and gender injustice is a major driver of this. Climate change, deforestation and biodiversity loss are all symptoms of this global challenge.
WHY SUPPORT WOMEN?
Climate change is not gender-neutral.
Women are disproportionately affected due to underlying socioeconomic, political, and legal barriers woven into the fabric of our society. Empowering women and ensuring their inclusion in planning and decision-making is essential for effective climate change solutions.
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Women often hold essential local knowledge, expertise and perspectives that can significantly contribute to climate change mitigation, disaster reduction and adaptation strategies for a more sustainable future.
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Women also hold invaluable knowledge for the care and restoration of forests. They are more likely to rely on forests for resources, and studies show that when women participate in forest-care decision-making, projects see better outcomes for both forests and communities. Yet despite this, women are often excluded from decision-making, perpetuating gender injustice and hindering forest protection, restoration and climate action. Gender inequality ultimately harms forest ecosystems, highlighting the importance of equitable participation in forest care for the benefit of women, their communities and our forests.
WE CHAMPION GENDER EQUITY.
Gender equity and women’s empowerment are deeply embedded in all our work.
We recognise and value the unique knowledge held by women in many cultures and their essential role in sustainable land use and community resource management. We challenge dominant power structures by integrating gender equity into all our work and centring the voices of women in our projects. Redressing the balance through gender-equitable approaches at all levels is critical to slowing and reversing the damage done to our precious Earth. By centring women, we move towards a world where nature and people flourish in connection, equity and harmony.
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Join us to support women now.
EXPLAINER:
GENDER EQUITY OR GENDER EQUALITY?
What is the difference between gender equity and gender equality? Often used interchangeably, these terms have very different meanings and, therefore, different implications for the best approach to reaching gender balance.
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While gender equality refers to the equal treatment of genders in all areas, gender equity goes a step further by acknowledging the fact that women (and all who do not identify as cis-male) have historically been disadvantaged and, therefore, require different treatment and accommodations to level the playing field. In other words, gender equity recognises that equality cannot be achieved by treating everyone equally but by providing different levels of support and resources as needed to ensure everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.
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"Gender equity includes the spectrum of genders recognised by bioregional communities. All genders need equality in access to trees and forests for their mental and physical health."
- Rooted in Ethics, TreeSisters.
WHAT WE ARE DOING.
Our Restoration Strategy aims to redress the gender imbalance in community forestry. The key outcomes we are working to achieve are:
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Women’s essential knowledge and role in land use and reforestation will be recognised.
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Women will take part in restoration and reforestation.
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Women will be recognised as leaders and foresters.
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Women will have agency in decision-making for their lands.
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The burden and risks to women will be reduced through reforestation.
YOUR SUPPORT IN ACTION.
Kasese, Uganda
In communities that have historically seen a gender divide in restoration efforts, focussing on gender equity and women’s participation can change lives.
Kamalha Annet from Alpha Women Empowerment Initiative (AWEI), one of our restoration partners, shared, “Women will be able to gain more skills. For example, when we’re in the field with some of the farmers, men are supposed to be the ones to plant trees. But nowadays, we are training the women to know how to plant them. If someone is a widow, you can train them and learn how to plant trees, not necessarily that men are supposed to be the ones to plant trees.”.
This project with ITF and AWEI has gender equity as a core aim, integrating leadership training, planning and budgeting and reusable sanitary pads and menstrual hygiene training for school-age girls, which is already resulting in less absenteeism from schools alongside its reforestation goals. These are real-world impacts improving the lives of women, girls and whole communities.
"There's a solid base of evidence showing that women are disproportionately vulnerable to climate change, not because there is something inherently vulnerable about women, but because of socio-cultural structures that deprive women of access to resources, decision-making, information, agency, etc."
- Marina Andrijevic, research analyst, Climate Analytics.
