TY - JOUR
T1 - Linking women's participation and benefits within the Namibian community based natural resource management program
AU - Lendelvo, Selma
AU - Munyebvu, Faith
AU - Suich, Helen
PY - 2012
Y1 - 2012
N2 - Women are important resource users and managers and their participation in community based natural resource management activities can create a platform for their empowerment and enhance their role in decision-making, including benefit sharing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the levels of participation of women in activities Namibia’s communal area conservancies and the benefits they receive. The study was carried out in four conservancies in Namibia. It reveals that women participate in diverse activities. With respect to conservancies, women’s participation appears to be highest in conservancy activities where their satisfaction levels with conservancy benefits are highest. Further, women from older and less populated conservancies prioritize conservancy activities above general community engagements. Benefits to women were conservancy-specific, although game meat emerged as a prominent benefit to all conservancies. Allowing women to actively participate in initiatives that are related to their traditional roles is essential in enhancing women’s participation and improved benefits, and is desired by women in all of the conservancies studied.
AB - Women are important resource users and managers and their participation in community based natural resource management activities can create a platform for their empowerment and enhance their role in decision-making, including benefit sharing. The purpose of this paper is to examine the levels of participation of women in activities Namibia’s communal area conservancies and the benefits they receive. The study was carried out in four conservancies in Namibia. It reveals that women participate in diverse activities. With respect to conservancies, women’s participation appears to be highest in conservancy activities where their satisfaction levels with conservancy benefits are highest. Further, women from older and less populated conservancies prioritize conservancy activities above general community engagements. Benefits to women were conservancy-specific, although game meat emerged as a prominent benefit to all conservancies. Allowing women to actively participate in initiatives that are related to their traditional roles is essential in enhancing women’s participation and improved benefits, and is desired by women in all of the conservancies studied.
U2 - 10.5539/jsd.v5n12p27
DO - 10.5539/jsd.v5n12p27
M3 - Article
VL - 5
SP - 27
EP - 39
JO - Journal of Sustainable Development
JF - Journal of Sustainable Development
IS - 12
ER -