CARIBBEAN WOMEN IN FORESTRY - HISTORY
During the International Year of Forests 2011 the Government of Trinidad and Tobago in collaboration with the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations hosted a symposium titled ‘Women in Forestry in the Caribbean’
The symposium was deemed relevant since worldwide research on the issues facing women in forestry had been conducted and documented; however no similar research had been conducted within the Caribbean Region. Thus it was felt that the symposium would be a launching pad for similar research to be conducted in the Caribbean so as to determine whether or not there were similar gender issues in the field of forestry. It was also envisaged that the symposium would help to develop strategies to address any issues so that women could play an equitable and effective role in forest management in the Caribbean.
Findings coming out of the symposium indicated that female forest officers face similar challenges as female forest officers across the world, and these issues can be broadly categorized as; 1) gender isolation; 2) gender biasness; 3) gender inequality; and 4) lack of knowledge and sensitivity regarding gender in the workplace.
In order to deal with the issues identified during the symposium two strategies were developed namely; 1) Women in Forestry in the Caribbean Network – this is a mentoring network specifically formulated to provide a forum where female forest officers can share and build solidarity; and 2) Caribbean Women in Forestry (CAWFOR) – a NGO group that aims: 1) to advocate for gender equality; 2) the development and implementation of gender policies throughout the Caribbean forestry sector (private and public); and 3) training and leadership of women in sustainable forest management.
The symposium was deemed relevant since worldwide research on the issues facing women in forestry had been conducted and documented; however no similar research had been conducted within the Caribbean Region. Thus it was felt that the symposium would be a launching pad for similar research to be conducted in the Caribbean so as to determine whether or not there were similar gender issues in the field of forestry. It was also envisaged that the symposium would help to develop strategies to address any issues so that women could play an equitable and effective role in forest management in the Caribbean.
Findings coming out of the symposium indicated that female forest officers face similar challenges as female forest officers across the world, and these issues can be broadly categorized as; 1) gender isolation; 2) gender biasness; 3) gender inequality; and 4) lack of knowledge and sensitivity regarding gender in the workplace.
In order to deal with the issues identified during the symposium two strategies were developed namely; 1) Women in Forestry in the Caribbean Network – this is a mentoring network specifically formulated to provide a forum where female forest officers can share and build solidarity; and 2) Caribbean Women in Forestry (CAWFOR) – a NGO group that aims: 1) to advocate for gender equality; 2) the development and implementation of gender policies throughout the Caribbean forestry sector (private and public); and 3) training and leadership of women in sustainable forest management.