How to Better Engage Women in Conservation

Gender relations around the world highly influence women’s involvement in activities outside the home. Therefore, women’s involvement in conservation programs is sometimes limited in more patrilineal cultures. However,... [ view full abstract ]

Gender relations around the world highly influence women’s involvement in activities outside the home. Therefore, women’s involvement in conservation programs is sometimes limited in more patrilineal cultures. However, there are many benefits to women’s involvement ranging from improved conservation outcomes to greater adherence to new regulations. The authors will use the Belizean community-based conservation group they helped organize as a case study to address the question: How do we create conservation programs to increase women’s participation? First, we will briefly discuss the history of gender mainstreaming in development projects and the lessons to be learned. Then, we will share the steps taken to create a women’s community-based conservation group in western Belize, starting with the initial qualitative and quantitative studies and ending with the group’s successes, such as riparian zone restoration and the initiation of wildlife and resource conservation education programs. Initial stakeholder interviews (47) and community surveys (494) using the Theory of Planned Behavior helped us determine attitudes and barriers to the creation and participation of women in a conservation group. To create a program allowing for the greatest involvement of women in the area, we learned that it is necessary to plan activities in which all members of a household can be involved. Additionally, our results guided us to reject the preconceived notion of a monetary incentive being necessary for participation. Challenges and recommendations will also be presented for practitioners working to involve women in conservation or other projects in low-income countries.