For the past three years, Hub’s early-career researcher Buhle Francis has been working with women in small-scale fishing communities in Eastern Cape, South Africa and has been undertaking pioneering collaborative research at the nexus of environmental justice, gender equality, ocean livelihoods and inclusivity in ocean-related decision-making processes. This blogpost provides an overview of Buhle Francis’s research in supporting small-scale fisher women’s livelihoods in the Eastern Cape of South Africa.

A landslide vote led to the passing of a Resolution entitled Importance for the conservation of nature of removing barriers to rights-based voluntary family planning. One of the most important results of the Resolution has been the establishment of the IUCN SSC CEESP Biodiversity & Family Planning Task Force, bridging the gaps between sectors and changing policy.

Latin America and the Caribbean, in their diversity, face similar extractive and environmental problems, as well as gender violence and social inequalities. These issues severely impact biodiversity, human health and the livelihoods of communities. In this context, the Environmental Citizenship Training for Women Defenders (ECA para Defensoras) is a stepping stone towards building essential networks for the defense of human rights and the rights of nature.

Women in the tribal communities of Araku Valley in Andhra Pradesh, India are taking a lion’s share of responsibility to balance family, community, and environment. Their role in preserving traditional knowledge and environment is exemplary and needs to be acknowledged at international forums. Non-tribal people living in urban areas must learn from tribal women how to lead a simple yet fulfilling life in a sustainable way. 

The One Ocean Hub has made a written submission to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment based on a call on “Women, Girls and the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment.” The call for submissions will lead to a report to the Human Rights Council in March 2023. This blogpost highlights key messages from the submission.

The fishing community in Manipur’s Loktak Lake faces a tough life negotiating between the need to eke out a living in a wetland whose ecosystem is fairly degraded, and striving to take part in its restoration. The women fishers share equal responsibility as the men in all activities.

The Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment recently published a report on women, girls and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. It articulates associated State obligations and business responsibilities, highlights the benefits of realizing gender equality and ecological sustainability, and recommends gender-transformative measures.

A recent global horizon scan is highlighting 15 topics as key emerging threats and opportunities in community-based conservation. We illustrate how gender-inequalities and the need for gendered approaches are cross-cutting issues that represent critical considerations in these topics, which range from co-creating knowledge to mass migrations induced by climate crises.

Israel, a climate change hot spot, is preparing for global warming. The government is aware of vulnerable populations such as climate refugees and women, but treats them as orthogonal groups. To properly prepare, it must acknowledge the interconnectedness of climate change and gender, acknowledging the specific needs of female refugees.

Women and Children are some of the most vulnerable demographics affected by climate change displacement. The work of the environmental company Harmattan Theater (based in New York City) has been to activate ecological awareness among coastal communities living along low-lying regions around the world, through performance.

In the current climate crisis women and girls are often described as perpetual victims and/or leaders of addressing emerging issues. While this approach is important in addressing gendered inequalities in the era of climate disasters, it is also problematic. This article envisions the creation of a systematic, politically engaged, economically informed, gender driven approach.

Women's voices are crucial in environmental policy and action because they often have deep knowledge of their local ecosystems and are habitually the primary caregivers and providers for their families. Empowering women and ensuring their meaningful participation in decision-making processes is crucial for achieving sustainable development and addressing environmental challenges, contributing to a more just and sustainable future for all.