Biodiversity, local participation and gender Or: The introduction of - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Biodiversity, local participation and gender Or: The introduction of a feminist political ecology Hanne Svarstad Norwegian Institute for Nature Research (NINA) 1 ALTER-Net, summer school, France, Sept. 10, 2008.

Biodiversity, local participation and gender Or: The introduction of a feminist political ecology Outline for the lecture: 1. Description of a situation 2. Does it matter? 3. A feminist political ecology as a tool for knowledge production 4. Explanations: Why it is as it is 5. What should be done? INTERRUPTIONS ARE RECOMMENDED! - questions to clearify 2 - discussions after each of the 5 sections

1. Description of a situation I’ll tell you a story from field work… From a research project on local participation in establishment of protected areas in Norway. 3

1. Description of a situation My immediate thought: This must be an exceptional coincidence! 4

1. Description of a situation My immediate thought: This must be an exceptional coincidence! Because: 1. Norwegian policies and laws require gender equality (a 40 % requirement). 5

1. Description of a situation My immediate thought: This must be an exceptional coincidence! Because: 1. Norwegian policies and laws require gender equality (a 40 % requirement). 2. Norway has a high international profile on gender, environment and development. 6

1. Description of a situation My immediate thought: This must be an exceptional coincidence! Because: 1. Norwegian policies and laws require gender equality (a 40 % requirement). 2. Norway has a high international profile on gender, environment and development. 7

1. Description of a situation My immediate thought: This must be an exceptional coincidence! Because: 1. Norwegian policies and laws require gender equality (a 40 % requirement). 2. Norway has a high international profile on gender, environment and development. Thus: Norway is perhaps the country in which there is the best reason to expect a high degree of gender equality in questions 8 on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

1. Description of a situation The gender dimension in the two cases on local participation in establishment of protected areas in Norway 9

1. Description of a situation Case 1: Protection Plan for Dovrefjell – including Dovrefjell- Sunndalsfjella National Park (established 2002) 10

1. Description of a situation Case 1: Protection Plan for Dovrefjell – including Dovrefjell- Sunndalsfjella National Park Political Numbers Admi Number Total Number (and Members represen of nistra of numb %) of women of the tatives women tive women er of among Dovre among repres among repres representativ Mountains political entati administ entati es Council as represen ves rative ves of June tatives represen 2005 tatives 8 muni- 8 2 8 0 16 2 cipalities (12.5%) 4 counties 4 2 4 0 8 2 (25%) All together 12 4 12 0 24 4 12 memb.s 11 (16.7%)

1. Description of a situation Case 1: Protection Plan for Dovrefjell: Numbers of local women in the reference groups Members of reference groups Nr of local Nr of members women Dovre municipality 6 0 Lesja municipality 6 1 Oppdal municipality 10 0 Tynset municipality 5 1 Folldal municipality 6 1 6 Municipality members in co-operation group 0 from the county Møre & Romsdal (Nesset, Rauma and Sunndal municipalities) Total 40 3 12 % 100 7.5

1. Description of a situation Case 1: Protection Plan for Dovrefjell: Numbers of local women in the reference groups Local women in the reference groups: Only 7.5 % 13

1. Description of a situation Case 2: Geiranger - Herdalen Geiranger-Herdalen Landscape Protected Area - Established 2004 14

1. Description of a situation Case 2: Geiranger - Herdalen An advicory group was established to provide local participation from the two municipalities Norddal and Stranda: 15

1. Description of a situation Case 2: Geiranger - Herdalen An advicory group was established to provide local participation from the two municipalities Norddal and Stranda: Local Members: representatives: From Norddal 4 municipality From Stranda 4 municipality 16

1. Description of a situation Case 2: Geiranger - Herdalen An advicory group was established to provide local participation from the two municipalities Norddal and Stranda: Local Members: Women: representatives: From Norddal 4 0 municipality From Stranda 4 0 municipality 17

1. Description of a situation Case 2: Geiranger - Herdalen A working group established in 2005 to elaborate management plan: Local representatives and county representatives: Members: 8 18

1. Description of a situation Case 2: Geiranger - Herdalen A working group established in 2005 to elaborate management plan: Local representatives and county representatives: Members: Women: 8 0 19

1. Description of a situation Svarstad, H., Daugstad, K.,Vistad, O.I. and Guldvik, I. (2006): New protected areas in Norway: Local participation without gender equality. Mountain Research and Development 26(1):48-54. 20

1. Description of a situation Maybe the lack of gender equality in the two cases were due to exceptional coincidences? 21

1. Description of a situation What about the situation in other cases in Norway? A quantitative gender study of the implementation of the Norwegian National Park Plan We have counted and counted…: • 1992-2010: Establishment of 54 new protected areas in Norway. • Of these 47 have been started (and many of these finished). • In at least 34 of these: Reference groups have been/are at work. Purpose: to get local participation and thereby local support for conservation. • We have so far obtained data from 31 of the 34 cases. • In a total of investigated 55 reference groups of the 31 cases: • There are totally 510 local representatives of these 55 reference groups. 22

1. Description of a situation What about the situation in other cases in Norway? A quantitative gender study of the implementation of the Norwegian National Park Plan Results: Local representatives in the 55 reference groups: 510 (100 %) 23

1. Description of a situation What about the situation in other cases in Norway? A quantitative gender study of the implementation of the Norwegian National Park Plan Results: Local representatives in the 55 reference groups: Women among these: 510 67 (100 %) (13.1 %) • Many of these reference groups have no women at all. • Only one of the 55 reference group in one municipality has a majority of women (6 women, 3 men). 24

25 1. Description of a situation: Findings from Norway: Gender equality Theory:

1. Description of a situation: Findings from Norway: Theory: Gender equality Practice: ”The local participant” is most often a man 26

1. Description of a situation • All over Europe there is a lack of research knowledge of the situation of gender equality in policy-making on conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity. • ALTER-Net focus on the issue: • A workshop: Klok, Chris and Rob van Apeldoorn eds. 2007: Gender and Biodiversity Management and Conservation in Europe. Workshop proceedings. Wageningen: Alterra. • Work in progress based on cases from Norway and Austria. 27

1. Description of a situation A case from Austria: Grosses Walsertal Biosphere Park Data by Dr. Lisa Ringhofer, University of Klagenfurt, ALTER-Net gender project participant The Biosphere Park was founded in year 2000 Encompassing 6 municipalities 3500 inhabitants A core zone (strict natural forest reserve area) A buffer zone (maintaining cultivated landscapes) A development zone (people live and mainly work there) 28

1. Description of a situation A case from Austria: Grosses Walsertal Biosphere Park Findings on gender: Women are more involved than men on grassrot activities on voluntary basis related to the Biosphere Park. The two employees of the Biosphere Park are women. The Biosphere Park was initiated by a regional political leader and led by him and the mayors from the 6 involved municipalities (all men). The decision-making is done by the Biosphere Board of trustees: Members: 7 29

1. Description of a situation A case from Austria: Grosses Walsertal Biosphere Park Findings on gender: Women are more involved than men on grassrot activities on voluntary basis related to the Biosphere Park. The two employees of the Biosphere Park are women. The Biosphere Park was initiated by a regional political leader and led by him and the mayors from the 6 involved municipalities (all men). The decision-making is done by the Biosphere Board of trustees: Members: Women: 7 1 30

1. Description of a situation Conclusion on all the cases: ”the local participant” is usually a man 31

1. Description of a situation Conclusion on all the cases: ”the local participant” is usually a man - Any comments or questions to the presentation so far? - How are the gender aspects in the case of Verdon? - Do you know anything about gender aspects on 32 conservation issues in your own countries?

33 2. Does it matter?

2. Does it matter? Is it important to involve women among local participants in decision-making and management of biodiversity conservation? If yes: Why? 34