Can the gender composition of a local forest governance group affect conservation outcomes? This simple question remains largely unaddressed, despite the substantial work on women's representation in public bodies and the growing research on local environmental governance. Economists studying environmental collective action have paid little attention to the question of gender. Research on gender and environmental governance in other disciplines has focused mainly on women's near absence from community forestry institutions. This presentation reverses that focus and asks: what if women were present in these institutions? Would that affect resource conservation and regeneration? Based on primary data on communities managing local forests in India and Nepal, the author provides some answers.

Type of Case
Video or audio

Publisher
Stockholm Resilience Centre TV

Region
Asia Pacific

Biome
Boreal, Temperate

Forest Type
All forest types (natural and planted)

Primary Designated Function
All