* Women’s role in biodiversity conservation
The Centre for Natural Resources and Environment Communication (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) collaborated with Viet Nam Association for Conservation of Nature and Environment, International Union for Conservation of Nature – WWF Viet Nam organized the seminar “Promoting gender equality to enhance the effectiveness of nature and biodiversity conservation in Viet Nam”. The seminar's content revolves around women's participation in this field and the opportunity to integrate gender equality into implementing the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plans (NBSAP) in Viet Nam.
At the seminar, delegates affirmed that currently, gender awareness and the role of women are increasingly recognized in biodiversity conservation and environmental protection. Activities to promote gender equality are also supported by international organizations or international cooperation programs. Environmental funds such as the Global Environment Fund, Green Climate Fund, and Adaptation Fund require project proponents to assess the gender impacts of project interventions.
Ms. Bui Thi Thanh, Chairwoman of the Women's Union of Tan Phong commune, Kien Thuy district, Hai Phong city, shared that women are also increasingly participating in biodiversity conservation, including scientific research and the implementation of practical activities, investigating genetic resources, especially about native animals and plants. Understanding biodiversity and ecological values is being completed, and people's livelihoods - including women - are making women proactively participate in conservation activities.
* Gender mainstreaming is still limited
At the seminar "Promoting gender equality to enhance the effectiveness of nature and biodiversity conservation in Viet Nam”, Mr. Vu Minh Ly, Deputy Director of the Centre for Natural Resources and Environment Communication, said that
Women's potential has yet to be fully exploited to fit their roles. Women are still disadvantaged in benefits from forests and natural landscapes. This is reflected in the difference between men and women in the registration rate to participate and receive money allocated from forest environmental service revenues. Forestry women often have fewer opportunities to access professional and technical training. In addition, women's earnings are usually lower than men's, and the gender pay gap in the forestry sector is significantly larger than in other economic and industrial sectors in Viet Nam.
In biodiversity and resource conservation, exploiting the differences and variety of roles, needs, and experiences of classes, objects, and genders is very important in promoting the development of forest and natural landscape protection activities. In particular, empowering women is key to sustainable biodiversity conservation.
Pointing out current challenges, Dr. Nguyen Si Linh, Institute Of Strategy And Policy On Natural Resources And Environment, commented that the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan did not include gender and gender equality targets in the process of deploying solutions and priority tasks of the Strategy. Currently, there are no resources to mainstream gender in the priority contents of the Strategy, and there is no technical guidance on gender mainstreaming specifically for conservation activities. The strategy implementation monitoring system also lacks indicators related to gender equality (for example, the role of women, the proportion of women participating in scientific research and nature conservation activities, and biodiversity...)
The database in this field also does not have gender-disaggregated data (for example, how many female officials work in conservation agencies and organizations, and how many women benefit from conservation activities,...) Communication activities in the wildlife trade only mention men, while women can be the ones who decide to buy products from wild animals or bring them to the market to sell.
* Determining gender spending in nature and biodiversity conservation activities
Dr. Nguyen Si Linh, Institute of Strategy and Policy on Natural Resources and Environment, commented that it is necessary to research and determine gender-related targets in nature and biodiversity conservation activities in the National Strategy on Biodiversity, building a gender-disaggregated database. In addition, analyzing the role of women in conservation activities to determine input information to integrate gender into policies related to nature conservation and biodiversity, and indicators related to National biodiversity planning and conservation projects. Along with developing technical guidelines for gender integration in policies in general and biodiversity conservation actions in particular, it is necessary to implement communication programs and strategies to raise awareness of this issue.
At the seminar, experts, scientists, gender equality officers in conservation organizations, and women's unions shared and discussed women's strengths in conservation work, particularly in environment protection and gender equality issues; Practical models around the world and experiences from the results of the project Preventing gender-based violence in the conservation sector.
Delegates also evaluated the need for gender equality in biodiversity conservation worldwide and applied it in Viet Nam: From participating in conservation, and developing policies to sharing benefits from conservation activities, and step-by-step solutions to include gender equality as an evaluation criterion in Vietnam's NBSAP implementation activities; solutions to mobilize resources to meet the need for gender equality in the field of biodiversity conservation in Viet Nam.Thereby contributing ideas to develop policies to encourage women to participate in the implementation of the National Strategy and Action Plan on Biodiversity.