Women In Forestry For Local Community Development

Women play a much greater role in forestry in India than has previously been documented - and their involvement in forestry should be strengthened.

This enlightening book brings together the work of gender and forestry specialists from various backgrounds and fields of research and action to analyse global gender conditions as related to forests. Using a variety of methods and approaches, they build on a spectrum of theoretical perspectives to bring depth and breadth to the relevant issues and address timely and under-studied themes. Focusing particularly on tropical forests, the book presents both local case studies and global comparative studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, as well as the US and Europe. The studies range from personal histories of elderly American women’s attitudes toward conservation, to a combined qualitative / quantitative international comparative study on REDD+, to a longitudinal examination of oil palm and gender roles over time in Kalimantan. Issues are examined across scales, from the household to the nation state and the global arena; and reach back to the past to inform present and future considerations. The collection will be of relevance to academics, researchers, policy makers and advocates with different levels of familiarity with gender issues in the field of forestry.

This study on women and the forest industry has the following objectives: to identify the current situation for women in forestry and forest-reliant communities; to identify opportunities to enhance women's participation in forest sector employment and value-added sectors; and to facilitate pilot training and employment projects in forest-reliant communities. Study methodology included a literature review, analysis of data on the forestry labour force and women's participation in it, and case studies of four forest-reliant communities in British Columbia. Research in each community consisted of analysis of 1991 Census data; interviews with local and regional representatives from industry, labour, government, and equity groups; an opportunities and issues workshop involving women and forest industry stakeholders; and a telephone survey of women from 100 households randomly selected from the four communities. Findings presented include population profiles of women province-wide, in forestry, and in the four communities; highlights of the household surveys; and recommendations arising from the issues and opportunities workshop. The appendix includes a copy of the survey questionnaire.

This book brings together the work of over twenty-five researchers to provide a comparative and empirically rich portrait of community forestry policy and practice in Canada. Tackling all forestry regions from Newfoundland to British Columbia, it unearths the history of community forestry across the nation, demonstrating strong regional differences tied to patterns of policy-making and cultural traditions. Case studies reveal innovative practices in governance and ecological management but also uncover challenges related to government support and market access. This book also considers the future of the sector, including the role of institutional reform, multiscale networks, and adaptive management strategies.