In many parts of Africa, women are more closely tied to the resources in their environment than men are. Yet this link has not often been noted, even by environmentalists.
Women use the environment.
In many parts of Africa, it is their traditional role to collect firewood. Women also do the great majority of agricultural work in some countries and often know about the edible resources in their environment. To highlight the link between gender and the environment, the Commonwealth Secretariat recently organised a two-week workshop on biodiversity information management and gender at Makerere University in Kampala, Uganda. The workshop was a sequel to a training programme on environmental conservation with a focus on women and biodiversity, held in Kampala two years ago. Many people, such as fishermen and people selling firewood, have a livelihood that depends on resources now being depleted.