Gender and Forest Management

Social and political barriers prevent women from having equal access and land rights as men, confining them to less remunerative and subsistence-level forest activities. Studies show no difference in success among forests managed by men's, women's, or mixed-gender groups. However, in India and Nepal, mixed-gender forest management groups with a higher proportion of women showed forest resources in better condition. Labor and benefits in forestry by gender in Zambia are characterized by women's reliance on non-wood products that require more labor and have lower market value. Men's forest-derived income comes primarily from high-value products such as charcoal, timber, and honey. Participation in these activities is strongly linked to gender, with charcoal, timber, and honey collection being largely male-dominated and traded in more lucrative markets. Women collect non-wood products for subsistence or for sale in less lucrative markets. Community forest management produces positive outcomes, with examples from India and Bengal showing a 61% decrease in illegal timber extraction. Mixed-gender forest management groups are largely successful in producing beneficial outcomes in terms of forest health as well as resource access for both men and women. In India and Nepal, community forestry initiatives with governing committees having a greater proportion of women were in better condition and showed greater improvement in condition over the period of forest protection monitoring.