1. Ghana Environmental Management Project (GEMP)
How to Mainstream
Gender Equality in
Conservation ProjectsConservation Projects
Wildlife and BiodiversityWildlife and Biodiversity
MODULE 2

2. Contents
Introduction to the Module ....................................................................................................................2
Gender, Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation.....................................................................................4
1. Problem Identification ................................................................................................................4
Gender Issues..................................................................................................................................4
2. Project Design.............................................................................................................................5
Project Logic Model: Gender, Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation.........................................6
3. Project Implementation ..............................................................................................................8
Case Study 1: Zaazi on the hunt....................................................................................................9
Case Study 2: Nakong Beekeeping Subproject..............................................................................9
4. Project Monitoring....................................................................................................................11
Indicators ......................................................................................................................................12
5. Project Evaluation.....................................................................................................................13
Monitoring and Evaluation Tools ..................................................................................................13
Introduction to the Module
These modules are for government staff of the ministries and departments related to
Environmental Protection, Environment, Science and Technology, Food and Agriculture,
Gender, Children and Social Protection; District staff, planners and Gender Desk Officers;
NGOs, CBOs, women's groups and community leaders.
The modules cover each of the six themes of the Ghana Environmental Management Project:
Module 1: Land use and soil management
Module 2: Wildlife and biodiversity conservation
Module 3: Energy resource management
Module 4: Water resource management
Module 5: Management of vegetative cover
Module 6: Alternative and sustainable livelihoods.
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3. Despite many agencies' commitment to gender equality, gender mainstreaming in project cycle
management has been limited. Some pay attention to gender during Problem Identification,
and at certain points of the Design and Monitoring phases. To truly mainstream gender in
sustainable land management projects, each phase of the project cycle needs to be linked with
appropriategenderanalysistoolsandkeygenderquestions.
Eachmodulecontainsadviceonhow tomainstreamgenderthroughtheprojectcycle:
1. ProblemIdentification
2. ProjectDesign
3. ProjectImplementation
4. ProjectMonitoring
5. ProjectEvaluation
You can use these materials to assist you to go through the planning cycle with staff, district
stakeholders and communities to ensure that the gender issues of inequity are really being
addressed by interventions for gender and sustainable land management. Each section contains
key questions and examples to assist you to design, implement and monitor gender-sensitive
projectswithstakeholdersandcommunities.
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4. Gender,WildlifeandBiodiversityConservation
Problem identification involves understanding the problems, needs and opportunities related to
gender and sustainable land management. It should take into consideration environmental
policy, current technologies, ways of working with communities, and considerations for
transformingexistinggenderrelationsofpowerandcontrol.
When you are identifying a problem related to gender and sustainable land management, answer
thefollowingquestionstoensurethatgenderequalityis mainstreamed.
1. Has relevant gender information, especially socio‐economic information, been
identifiedandcollectedso thatitcanbeincludedindiscussions aboutprojectdesign?
2. Is background data disaggregated by sex? (In many cases, disaggregation by other social
identities such as age and ethnic origin is also required, given that communities are rarely
homogeneousunits.)
3. Have gender specialists (in the CBO or NGO, for example) and representatives of
women's organizationswithinthecommunitybeenconsulted?
4. Have both men and women been involved in problem identification (even if the ultimate
problemrecognizedaffectsonesexmorethantheother)?
Here is a list of some of the issues of gender inequity (gender issues) related to wildlife and
biodiversityconservation.
1. Lackofownershiprightstolandbywomenasaresultofbiodiversitydepletion
2. Lack of access and control of fertile lands by women due to pressure on limited fertile
landbymenas aresultoflanddegradation
3. Longer hours used by women and children in search of portable water due to pollution of
waterbodiesthusaffectingeducationofchildren,especiallythegirlchild
4. Longer hours used by both women and men in search of fuel wood, herbal plants and
fishinggrounds, thusaffectingeconomicactivitiesandlivelihood
5. Lack of recognition of women in decision making with regard to conserving wildlife and
biodiversity
6. Lack of involvement of women in capacity building in wildlife and biodiversity
conservationleadstothemarginalizationofwomenonconservationefforts
The following is a short description of the major gender issues of inequity related to wildlife and
biodiversityconservation:
The natural vegetation of the three northern regions is gradually been destroyed by land clearing
for agriculture and other economic activities. The growing human population in the regions has
placed greater demand on the limited natural resources, which makes other species more
vulnerable to lose their natural habitats and biological diversity.The loss of forestland has
reduced the level of biodiversity, the problems can also be found in water resources because of
theuseoftoxicchemicalsbyseveralillegalminingcompanies.
1. ProblemIdentification
GenderIssues
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5. Insufficient action to guard against deforestation, land degradation, and the release of toxic
materials into water bodies and the environment from mining activities and some fishermen are
leading to the extinction of some species of plants and animals. Plant life is being destroyed, and
streamsareincreasinglybecomingpollutedwithhazardouschemicals.
The destruction of natural resources including the sacred groves, herbaria, national parks and
sanctuaries through land clearing and bushfires were found to be on the ascendancy;
engendering food security, health and tourism. The indiscriminate bush burning and poaching
adversely impactwild life and biodiverse resources. Traditionally, women are not allowed into
the sacred groves; the destruction was caused mainly by men who encroached the land for
farming and, or building. The lack of knowledge on how the ecosystem works better because of
theirinherentdiversityandtheirbenefitstosoceityhasbeenidentifiedasachallenge.
An excerpt from: Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan to Combat Drought and
Desertification in the three Northern Regions of Ghana (GESAP), developed in 2011 by the
Environmental ProtectionAgency, in conjunction with the Ghana Environmental Management
Project.
Within the framework given by your agency or organization, or sometimes by your funder's
request, you will need to identify objectives and the activities that will enable you to achieve
expected results. The Project Design stage is the most important when it comes to integrating
the gender dimension into the project. You can apply all the information obtained from your
gender analysis in order to plan based on real information concerning the lives of the male and
femalebeneficiaries.
When you are choosing expected results and activities for your project, answer the following
questionstoensurethatgenderequalityismainstreamed.
1. Whatis thecurrentsituationofmenandwomenintheareaofyourplannedintervention?
2. Willtheproposedprojectcontributetoexistinginequalitiesamongmenandwomen?
3. Does the proposed project break down or challenge existing inequalities among men and
women?
4. Will the proposed project change the perceptions or stereotypes about men and women
andtheirrolesinanyway?
5. Whatoptionsshouldbeconsideredtostrengthenagenderperspective?
6. Will the proposed project contribute to women's empowerment? If not, is there place for
an allied intervention that will contribute to empowerment, so as not to reinforce the
disparitybetweenmenandwomen?
2. ProjectDesign
Once you have decided on all the expected results and activities for your project, you can
summarizetheminaLogicModel:
· The Ultimate Outcome is the overall goal of the project, which contributes to national-
levelaimsandpolicies.
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6. · The Intermediate Outcomes are the expected results related to changes in your
organizationorgroup,anditssystemsorprocesses.
· The Immediate Outcomes are the expected results related to changes in individuals, their
knowledgeandawareness,skillsorabilities,oraccess.
· Outputs(orcompletedactivities)leadtooutcomes.
Therefore it is important that you implement your activities as planned, based on gender
analysis. If youdo,youwillcertainlyachieveyourexpectedresults.
The expected results and activities listed in the logic model below are examples for you.
Depending on the funds you have, you may want to implement only a few of the activities
representedinthisLogicModel.
ProjectLogicModel: Gender,WildlifeandBiodiversityConservation
Theme WILDLIFE AND BIODIVERSITY CONSERVATION
Ultimate
Outcome
Strengthened mainstreaming of gender considerations in issues relating to
community-based activities necessary for the reduction and reversing of land
degradation and desertification. Gender Equality Strategy and Action Plan
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
Intermediate
Outcomes
Improved conservation
practices that take into
account women’s
knowledge and practice
Increased influence of visible voices of women in
decision-making for gender-sensitive policies on
wildlife and biodiversity conservation
↑ ↑ ↑
Immediate
Outcomes
Increased livelihood
alternatives for women
to address issues of
wildlife and biodiversity
conservation
Increased capacity of
communities to implement
wildlife and biodiversity
initiatives for women
Improved policies for
the involvement and
protection of women’s
roles in wildlife and
biodiversity
conservation
↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑ ↑
Type of
Activities to be
implemented
in order to
achieve results
· Establish wood lots
for women
· Support women’s
group to acquire
donkeys and carts to
cart fuel wood to
ease the burden on
women and girls
· Assist women to
establish herbal
gardens
· Establish seeds
sources and
· Form and encourage
the coalition of
women’s groups to
advocate against the
conversion of forest
land into plantations,
bush burning and other
issues affecting gender
and biodiversity
· Sensitize community
elders on the need to
involve women in
wildlife and
biodiversity
· Formulation and
enforcement of
community rules
and regulations
· Involve more
women in the
Taungya system to
help rejuvenate
depleted forests
· Advocate to District
Assemblies and TAs
to put into place and
enforce rules
against bush
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7. habitation for
existing and new
species of plants
and animals
Establishment of
bee farms for men
coping and adaptation
mechanisms during
crises
and women to serve
as alternative
livelihood options to
hunting and
charcoal production
nurseries for women
to access indigenous
plants, herbs and
vegetables
· Acquire and supply
micro-livestock and
breeding animals to
women’s groups
· Facilitate linkages
between women’s
groups with
affordable
veterinary services
· Establish women’s
conservation
· Sensitize men,
especially young men,
on the value of wildlife
conservation
· Organize sensitization
for chiefs to release
marginal land for
women’s groups to
establish woodlots
· Empower and grant full
and active participation
of women and
women’s group in
forest resource
burning
· Incorporate
women’s indigenous
knowledge as
custodians of the
land into local
conservation policy
· Enforce rules
against the cutting
or destruction of
economic trees
(fruits, nuts) which
are used by women
for their livelihoods
· Protect woodlots
with leases so that
ecotourism-related
activities to
encourage
protection of
wildlife and
biodiversity
· Protect head waters
with enrichment
planting to make
local streams safe
and available for
women and children
· Enrichment planting
around sacred
groves by men and
women to provide
and expand
management
· Sensitize men on the
negative effects of
group hunting
· Strengthen community
resource management
area to have equal
representation of men
and women
· Carry out anti-bush fire
campaign in
communities to
emphasis the harm to
women’s livelihoods
and biodiversity
· Educate and build the
capacity of women in
mountain areas to
manage biodiversity
resources and identify
women continue to
benefit from them
· Develop and enforce
hunting rules
·
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8. 3. ProjectImplementation
CaseStudy1: Zaazionthehunt
Implementation is the major phase in the project cycle, when plans are transformed into reality.
Implementation involves using your resources to implement activities in order toachieve the
expectedresults.
When you are implementing the activities for your project, answer the following questions to
ensurethatgenderequalityis mainstreamed.
1. Arewomenandmenbenefitingfromtheproject? Inthesamewayordifferentways?
2. Aresomewomenormennegativelyimpactedbytheproject?
3. Have gender relations (power and control) of women and men changed as a result of the
project?Havegendergapsbeenreduced?
4. Arenewgenderissues ofinequityemergingwithintheproject?
5. Are there new external factors affecting gender relations besides the project? Are they
positiveornegative?
6. Are women and men both supportive of the project, or do they wish to change it? Who?
Why?How?
What follows are some case studies about project activities. Ideally, it would be great if your
staff and stakeholders, including community members, could visit the communities described in
the stories. However, these case studies are the next best thing to visiting. Each case study
shows how womenandmenare:
· participatingintheproject
· sharingprojectresources
· sharingprojectbenefits
· changingtheirlivestogether
· experiencingempowerment.
After each story, there are a number of questions to answer. Read (or translate) the story to your
staff, stakeholders or community members. Lead the discussion based on the questions listed
after the story. This will assist your staff and stakeholders to visualize the types of changes that
they should expect, and allow them to discuss the implications for their own work and lives.
They may want to implement a similar project. Similarly, their discussion of the story may
inspirethemwithnewideasfortheirown projects.
Your staff and stakeholders should understand that exciting things related to gender and
sustainable land management are happening in northern Ghana. They too can be part of it;they
cantransformgenderrelationsthroughsustainablelandmanagementprojects!
The community of Zaazi in Northern Region decided to stop bush burning and as such they
noticedthatsomethingsstartedtochange. Therearemanynegativeimpactsofbush burning.
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9. Particularly in Zaazi, bush burning destroys most of the women's crops, such as tree crops like
shea and dawa dawa. Secondly, burning limits opportunities for honey harvesting in the wild.
Thirdly, burning wipes out all the ground cover, including precious herbs used by both women
and men for medicinal purposes and food. On the other hand, burning the ground exposes small
and large game, making it easier for men to hunt.However, the benefits of stopping bush
burning,particularlyforthemen,werenotas easytosee.
When bush burning stopped in Zaazi, women discovered that their tree crops, herbs and plants
were more plentiful. The men were also pleased to see that they have more birds and small
animals to hunt, such as rabbits,mice,partridges and squirrels.At the same time, they noticed that
largeranimalsweremoredifficulttofind.
Those animals had gone to hide in inaccessible brush and forest areas and were therefore much
harder to hunt. Despite the hunting challenges, the increases in brush and forest areas would
make it safer f for animals and therefore prevent extinction because they are protected in a
natural way- this too would be beneficialfor the communityin the long run. Now, the young men
who do most of the hunting are not happy that they can no longer find larger game to hunt. Small
animals are not such a challenge for them but they wonder if, from now on, their society's long
traditionofhuntingwillonlybeadistantmemory.
Questions forDiscussion:
1. What are women's and men's traditional roles related to wildlife? Do women have
particularroles,suchas indigenousknowledgeorspecialskills?
2. What are the gender issues in this story? How are men affected? How are women
affected?
3. How does the story show that gender roles have changed, particularly with regard to the
environment?
4. In what possible way could the availability of smaller animals be of benefit to women and
girls?
5. What do you think that the young men will do, now that they cannot hunt larger game?
Willitmakeabigdifferencetotheirlives,totheirideaofbeingamaninsociety?
Nakong community is located along the Navrongo – Tumu trunk road in the Kassena-Nankana
West District of the Upper East Region of Ghana. For so many reasons, the Upper East Region
experiencesperennialbushfire;NakongCommunityisnoexception.
In 2006, the community – both women and men – admitted that perennial bushfire was a
problem and subsequently took a unanimous decision to fight it. They set up a committee made
up of both men and women and came out with various regulations and implemented them with
the support of the Chief. Nakong is one of the nineWesternWildlife Corridor Communities and
also one of the Community Resource Management Area (CREMA) communities of the
proposedCREMASiteOne.
In 2010, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), under the Ghana Environmental
Management Project (GEMP), with the assistance of CIDA, adopted and revamped the
committee into a Community Environmental Management Committee (CEMC). The
community, with support from GEMP, is currently into beekeeping. There are 75 beneficiaries,
CaseStudy2: NakongBeekeepingSubproject
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10. both men and women, who have been supported with 75 beehives, 15 honey extractors and
protective clothing. The community has demarcated a protected area of approximately 40
hectares,wherethebeehiveshavebeenmounted.
Beneficiaries have also received training in the management of the beehives. Each beneficiary
household is responsible for monitoring and maintaining its beehives. Honeycomb harvesting
began in March 2013. Extraction will be done using the extractors provided, instead of with
unprotectedfirewhichwas themethodusedinthewildbeforetheintroductionofthebeehives.
Establishing beehives has proven beneficial in terms of reducing bush burning and bush fires.
For example, Nakong, for the past two years, has not experienced bushfire particularly in the
areaswherethebeehiveshavebeenmounted.
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11. Questions forDiscussion:
1. What are women's and men's traditional roles related to beekeeping? Do women have
particularroles,suchasindigenousknowledgeorspecialskills?
2. The project introduced hives, special clothing and equipment, and extractors. The story
says that both women and men took responsibility for operating and maintaining the
beekeeping equipment. Do you think that responsibilities and tasks were shared
equally? Ifso, why? If not,why not?
3. Think of Nakong before the beekeeping project. How did women and men run their
lives? Now think of those 75 beneficiary households. How have their lives changed?
What do men do during the day? What do women do? Who has access to the hives?
Who controls the hives? How are decisions made? Do you think that the roles and
responsibilities of boys and girls in the beneficiary households have changed since
MotherandFatherarebusy withthehives? If yes,how?
The progress of a project has to be monitored to ensure that the expected results are happening.
Think about some of the changes you read about in the case studies and in your own
projects.Many of the changes are related to the environment and, at the same time, related to
gender.
An important way of monitoring whether a project has mainstreamed gender and transformed
gender relations is to use gender-sensitive indicators. Gender-sensitive indicators will let you
know whether there are changes in gender relations – women's and men's dynamics of power
and control. Here are some features of gender relations that should change after implementing a
projectongenderandsustainablelanduse:
· participationinprojectsandcommittees
· awareness,knowledge,skills
· decision-makingpowers
· rolesandresponsibilitiesinthehousehold,communityandleadership
· how roles,tasks,resourcesarevalued
· accesstoandcontrolofprojectresourcesandbenefits
· accesstoandcontrolofhouseholdandcommunityresourcesandbenefits.
All this information should be sex-disaggregated, so that differences between men and women
can be highlighted and inequities addressed. Sex-disaggregated data presents information
separatelyforwomenandmen,andasrequired,boys andgirls.
When you are monitoring a project, answer the following questions to ensure that gender
equalityis mainstreamed.
1. Does themonitoringplaninviteinputandfeedbackfromwomenandmen?
2. Aregenerateddata,analysisandreportssex-disaggregated?
4. ProjectMonitoring
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12. 3. Aregenderindicatorseffectivelyusedandassessed?
4. Does monitoring consider both women's and men's roles (even if those roles are
different)?
5. Is progress towardobjectivesandexpectedresultsrelatedtomenorwomenontrack?
6. Have any gender issues of inequity arisen that were not identified at the project design
stage? Ifso, how cantheybeaddressed?
Here are some examples of gender-sensitive indicators for gender, wildlife and biodiversity
conservation. You can use these, and others that you develop to assess whether your project
is on track to changing gender relations, roles, responsibilities and how they are valued.
Indicators
Gender-sensitive indicators for Gender, Wildlife and Biodiversity Conservation
1. # communities effectively implementing gender-sensitive wildlife and biodiversity
initiatives
2. # women and men practicing improved wildlife and conservation practices
3. # acres of woodlots established and being used by women
4. # women effectively advocating for the implementation of policies on wildlife and
biodiversity conservation
5. # improved policies for the involvement of women’s roles in wildlife in biodiversity
conservation
6. # District Assemblies and Traditional Authorities committed to gender-sensitive
policies
7. # District Assemblies implementing improved policies for the involvement and
protection of women’s role in wildlife and biodiversity conservation
8. # alternative livelihoods options being implemented in the communities by women
9. # women engaged in new alternative livelihood options
10. Level of productivity of hatcheries run by women
11. # of women involved in enrichment planting
12. Acreage of land under enrichment planting by women
13. Gallons of honey produced by women
14. # of small ruminants and guinea fowls reared by men and women
15. % of women involve in decision making in related to wildlife and bio-diversity
conservation.
16. Number of community members (women and men) sanctioned for breaking
community rules and regulations
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13. 1. ProjectEvaluation
MonitoringandEvaluationTools
At the end of your project, you will want to evaluate whether it has been successful – in
achieving its goals for sustainable land use, and toward gender equality. Evaluation should be as
systematic and objective as possible. Therefore, tools are developed to collect gender-sensitive
and sex-disaggregated data. These tools can be used at the end of the project, but also at the
beginning(baseline)andmid-pointtoassess progress overtime.
Here are some examples of gender-sensitive tools for gender, wildlife and biodiversity
conservation. If you use these tools at the beginning, middle and end of your project, you will
see changes in how men and women have access to and control over resources; and in their roles
and responsibilities. You may also discover some changes in gender relations that you did not
expect! You should determine whether these are positive and progressive changes, or negative
and counter-productive. When it comes time to designing a new phase of your project or even a
brand new project, take these lessons into account to ensure that your project will implement all
activitiesnecessarytopromotegenderequality.
A. Household SurveyQuestions
B. Focusgroup interviewquestions with women involvedintheproject
1. Do you think that the hatcheries (or other activity) have benefitted the women in the
community?
2. Do you think that women's participation in decision making about activities near the
sacred grove addressed all your issues and concerns?
3. How has the small ruminant, guinea fowlrearing (or other activity) benefited you and
your family?
C. Focus group interview questions with men involved in the project
1. What are the benefits being derived from the grass cutter farm (or other new activity)?
2. How has rearing small ruminants changed your attitude towards wildlife?
3. How do you feel about not doing your regular group hunting?
1. What is the main source of income for family
members
Income Source Men Women
Hunting
Bee farms
Shea butter
processing
farming
Other(s)
2. How many small ruminants do men and
women own
Animal Men Women
Sheep
Goats
Grass Cutter
Domestic fowl
Guinea Fowl
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14. D. Group interviewwith CEMC Executive
1. How manywomenareintheCEMCexecutive?
2. How has the involvement of women in decision making affected the activities of the
CEMC?
3. What types of major decisions have been made by the CEMC and what has been the
involvementofwomeninthem?
4. How has women's involvement in efforts to stop bush burning influenced the
community'sactions?
5. Have you had any difficulties enforcing the community rules and regulations for
biodiversity and wildlife conservation? How many men and women have been
sanctionedorawardedinthepast6months?
E. Observationguideatprojectsite(listofwhat tolookfor)
1. Observegeneralhealthofguineafowl,smallruminants,grass cutters
2. Observegrowtharoundthesacredgroves
3. Observehivesandpopulation,healthofhives
4. Observegrazinglandforsmallruminants
5. Observevegetativeandtreecoverinthecommunity
This is the end of this module. Best wishes as you mainstream gender, empowering women
and meninsustainablelandmanagementprojects.
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