Forest conservation in Central and West Africa

In recent years, the forestry sector has tried to mainstream gender ¹ into legislation, policies and programs in order to promote “women’s empowerment” (FAO 2007). This focus on women in gender mainstreaming has arisen because women have often been more excluded from forest conservation governance, employment and decision making than men (FAO 2007). Case studies have shown how the inclusion of women in forest conservation programs can empower women by, for example, increasing women’s incomes or promoting female participation in forest management committees (Schroeder 1995; Yatchou 2011).