Recognizing women’s role in managing Kosovo’s forests
A new FAO report highlights the importance of women's involvement in forest work, and calls for their interests to be better considered at both national and municipal levels.
© FAO / Vasily Maksimov
Managing forests is a complex task, and with forests covering 44 percent of its territory, Kosovo* has a lot to care for. The job is worth doing right, since forests can be a source of fuel, food and income for rural people. Yet, as a new FAO report highlights, not enough attention has been paid to one important group of forest users: women.
Gender, rural livelihoods and forestry: Assessment of gender issues in Kosovo's forestry (now available in English, Albanian and Serbian) takes stock of Kosovo’s forests and offers ideas and suggestions for the future. By presenting the environmental, economic and social benefits of including rural women in forest management, FAO hopes the publication will prompt improvements. The main findings clearly refute the widespread notion of forest work is a male domain.
*References to Kosovo shall be understood to be in the context of Security Council Resolution 1244 (1999).