# **Introduction**

Women have always been involved in natural resources management (NRM) and they have a central role in the use of NRM because they are frequently in charge of household cooking and firewood collection (Beland et al., 2010), and are crucial in providing nutritious diets and food security to their families (Kimanzu et al., 2021 and Agarwal, 2018). However, women’s access to the benefits of natural resources (for example, wood, food, economic benefits) is limited compared to men’s (Marcos, P, 2021 and FAO, 2018). Moreover, social, political, and economic inequalities result in differences in men’s and women’s adaptive capacity and resources to face climate change, and climate change further impacts access, use, and control over resources (World Bank, 2018).

According to Marcos (2021), not involving women in NRM projects can reduce their effectiveness by: i) producing a negative impact on women’s and their families’ livelihoods; ii) marginalizing women’s specific and necessary knowledge (for example, traditional knowledge); iii) strengthening inequalities in participation and influence in decision making; and iv) worsening relations between men and women, mainly when social and economic benefits are not equally distributed. However, if a gender approach is implemented in the project, it can serve to improve project sustainability. Specific efforts should be made to ensure that gender is an integral part of future initiatives (Larson et al., 2018).

In Mexico, forests contribute to both rural and urban economies through the provision of goods such as timber and value-added products, and important ecosystem services. These natural habitats support biodiversity, mitigate erosion, and help maintain soil fertility, water filtration, and the supply of raw material for vital, productive sectors (Armstrong, Siegmann, Alonso Mendieta, Reyes-Retana, 2018). However, the sustainability of Mexico’s forests is threatened by socioeconomic stresses, unsustainable agricultural practices, and climate change (CONAFOR, 2020). Drought, irregular rainfall, deforestation, and the degradation of natural resources all increase the risk of natural disasters and the loss of biodiversity (Armstrong, Siegmann, Alonso Mendieta, Reyes-Retana, 2018).

Many of the people living in these forests are poor and vulnerable: 88% of Mexico’s 12 million forest dwellers live in highly marginalized localities, and 62% live below the poverty line (INEGI, 2009; DOF, 2016). At the same time, 60% of forests in Mexico are property of communal organizations, with authorization to use the forest resources (Madrid, Núñez, Quiroz and Rodriguez, 2009). Hence, promoting impactful sustainable practices through community forest management provides an important opportunity to sustain forest resources while enabling local populations to create income generating opportunities.

A persistent gender gap exists in productive activities in forest landscapes, the distribution of benefits from these activities, and the associated public sector programs. For example, while important efforts have been made to provide more funding to women in Mexico, in 2020 only 1.15% of the resources of the main forest sector support program funded productive projects led by weomen. At the same time, according to the Agrarian National Registry, only 26% of all ejido 2