copyright Michelle Kuenzli

Jackie Siles, IUCN’s Senior Programme Manager for Gender, started the webinar with a short presentation on the Gender Perspective in Nature-based Solutions and stressed the importance of its incorporation for sustainable development. She highlighted the need for inclusive governance and human rights-based approaches in Nature-based Solutions, as degradation and inequality together contribute to the vicious cycle of reinforcing poverty. The panellists then introduced their projects, each emphasizing gender perspectives.

“Las mujeres y los hombres tienen roles y responsabilidades diferentes y (…) dado que se relacionan de manera distinta con los recursos, también pueden contribuir de distintas maneras a la conservación y la gestión del medio ambiente.” Jackie Siles, UICN

Panelistas:

• Jackie Siles, Senior Programme Manager for Gender at IUCN
• Tiranke Ngaguep Camara, Technical Advisor in Gender Equality and Social Inclusion at CECI – Guinea: “Adaptation climatique fondée sur la nature dans la forêt guinéenne de l’Afrique de l’Ouest”
• Coline Camier, Asesora Principal de Igualdad de Género en Mission Inclusion: “Proyecto de Paisajes Marinos Regenerativos para el Planeta, la Naturaleza y las Personas (ReSea)”
• Fernande Abanda, Gerente de Programa en Inter Pares: “Acción Climática Femenina en África Occidental (ACF-AO)”
• Noëlle Rancourt, Asesora de Igualdad de Género e Inclusión en Plan Internacional: “Conservación y Gestión Sostenible de los Ecosistemas Costeros y Marinos (COSME)”

Noëlle Rancourt introduced COSME, a project focusing on gender-responsive Nature-based Solutions in coastal Kenya and Tanzania. Noëlle highlighted COSME’s gender transformative approach, which is rights based and result driven, aiming to address gender inequality as a barrier to climate adaptation and biodiversity conservation. She discussed the integration of gender equality and inclusion in project design and implementation, with an emphasis on local leadership and social norm change.

Colin Camier introduced the ReSea project, which has been set up in collaboration of Mission Inclusion and IUCN. As part of the Great Blue Wall initiative, it is implemented in five countries – Mozambique, Comoros, Tanzania, Kenya, and Madagascar – aiming to enhance climate and socio-economic resilience in coastal communities. ReSea focuses on strengthening local governance, protecting marine ecosystems, and integrating women and youth into the blue economy through gender-sensitive conservation and innovative value chains, promoting active leadership and empowerment.

Fernande Abanda introduced the project ACF-AO, which focuses on enhancing the climate adaptation capacities of rural women and youth in West Africa’s coastal, island, and mangrove regions. It aims to amplify community responses to climate change by strengthening women’s and youth’s participation in biodiversity governance and ecosystem restoration, using local knowledge and principles of feminist climate justice to implement Nature-based Solutions across Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Togo, and Guinea-Bissau.

Tiranke Ngaguep Camara introduced the NbS Guinean Forests project, which focuses on promoting nature-based and gender-sensitive, inclusive climate adaptation in the threatened forests of West Africa. The project, active in Côte d’Ivoire, Ghana, and Guinea, aims to enhance women’s leadership in climate adaptation planning and the restoration of degraded forests. The initiative trains women and community groups in gender-sensitive restoration techniques, fostering biodiversity, increasing women’s income through sustainable market systems, and ensuring climate resilience.

copyright Michelle Kuenzli

En la segunda parte del seminario web se abordaron varios aspectos clave que las Soluciones Basadas en la Naturaleza (SbN) deben considerar al diseñar e implementar actividades con perspectiva de género. Uno de los aspectos críticos abordados fue la importancia de involucrar plenamente a las mujeres como participantes activas en los proyectos de SbN. Fernande emphasized that projects must be designed based on the experiences, needs, and interests of women in the communities and include women as stakeholders. If these needs are not adequately understood and addressed, there is a significant risk that the projects will not be viable or sustainable for the communities, particularly for women. Understanding the local context and involving stakeholders who are traditionally not associated with promoting gender equality, such as patriarchal guardians, traditional leaders, and institutional decision-makers, is crucial. Additionally, Tiranke suggested activities aimed at promoting positive masculinity and fostering dialogue on gender equality should include men, as their involvement can lead to greater openness and support for women’s empowerment.

“One component is engaging men as allies rather than just guardians of patriarchy, ensuring they are part of the process as beneficiaries in a way that supports a woman-focused and woman-led approach.” – Noëlle Rancourt

La participación de los hombres como aliados en la promoción de la igualdad de género dentro de las SbN fue un tema recurrente. Noëlle discussed strategies for male engagement, emphasizing the need for a strategic approach rather than randomly involving men in conservation groups. She explained how COSME strategically engages men by involving influential or critical men in parallel processes with women, and reflection on power and workload distribution within households is promoted. This involves targeted discussions, gender analysis, and household action planning, where both genders can collaborate more effectively. Colina compartió un modelo utilizado por sus socios kenianos, que utiliza a defensores de la igualdad de género y promueve el diálogo informal entre hombres dentro de la misma comunidad para desafiar las normas y prácticas culturales que obstaculizan la participación y la voz de las mujeres.

The discussion also highlighted the importance of mitigating risks and maximizing the impact of NbS. Noëlle Señaló que las SbN pueden, sin querer, profundizar las desigualdades de género y la exclusión social si no se planifican con cuidado. Existe el riesgo de reforzar las jerarquías existentes, aumentar la carga de las mujeres y que los hombres se apropien de los beneficios potenciales. Para evitarlo, es fundamental integrar estrategias que aborden estos riesgos. Noëlle emphasized the importance of working with women-led conservation groups and setting a target for women’s participation within these NbS groups. A gender-transformative approach is necessary, promoting women’s agency and ensuring an enabling environment for their empowerment. This includes incorporating gender equality and inclusion into training materials and assessments, ensuring women have the necessary technical knowledge and skills to participate meaningfully in NbS activities.

copyright Michelle Kuenzli

El proceso de desarrollo de una estrategia de género para proyectos de SbN fue otro tema clave. Colina Explicó que este proceso implica varias etapas. La estrategia está diseñada para garantizar la participación activa y el liderazgo de las mujeres en toda su diversidad. Dada la participación de múltiples socios, la estrategia debe ser clara y específica para asegurar un entendimiento común entre todas las partes interesadas. Colina Se destacó que las estrategias de género a menudo corren el riesgo de quedar en segundo plano, por lo que es esencial mantenerlas concretas y orientadas a la acción para garantizar que sigan siendo centrales en la implementación del proyecto.

Asked by the audience, the webinar also addressed challenges and ways forward for including women in NbS. Colina highlighted that community governance mechanisms, whether community-based or state-level, often reflect masculine power dynamics, leading to the exclusion of women, particularly in roles requiring being empowered by the community or literacy, such as fishermen or state leaders in Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Fernande Añadió que el diálogo y la promoción con los responsables de la toma de decisiones y los líderes tradicionales son cruciales para promover los derechos de las mujeres y garantizar su inclusión en los proyectos de SbN. Dichos diálogos no solo facilitan la integración de las mujeres, sino que también ayudan a las comunidades a comprender mejor las dinámicas de poder y a valorar sus contribuciones. Capacitar a las mujeres en la promoción y permitir su participación en las dinámicas nacionales también es vital, ya que las mujeres suelen poseer importantes conocimientos tradicionales e indígenas.

“Nature-based Solutions are a powerful way to address societal challenges but also a way to transform how society relates to nature.” – Jackie Siles, IUCN

When asked to give some tangible examples on how men and women use resources differently, Fernande highlighted the traditional exclusion of women from beekeeping due to social beliefs, but noted efforts to challenge these stereotypes and increase women’s participation through community awareness and training. Noëlle Se discutieron los roles de género en la gestión forestal participativa, donde los hombres se centran en tareas económicamente motivadas como el procesamiento de la madera, mientras que las mujeres priorizan la recolección de leña, influenciadas por sus roles familiares. Tiranke provided an example from Guinea, where men handle labour in agriculture, and women manage planting, harvesting, and selling, with women’s earnings often supporting the household needs.

In conclusion, the webinar underscored the importance of a comprehensive approach to designing and implementing gender-responsive activities in NbS and to promote equitable participation in natural resource management. Key considerations include fully engaging women, mitigating risks, developing clear gender strategies, addressing challenges related to power dynamics, and strategically involving men as allies to promote gender equality.