29 January 2013: The International Union of Forest Research Organizations (IUFRO) released its report on “Environmental Governance and Four Decades of Gender Research,” the scientific output of the 3rd Gender and Forestry Conference held from 27-29 November 2012.

The report identifies three main questions: what research has taken place on gender and forestry over the past forty years; how has this research been acted upon; and what are the implications of this research and its effects on future research and environmental governance.

The report also outlines the main conclusions from the meeting, which emphasize that although the amount of literature available on gender in forestry makes up a very small portion of the total environmental research, women are increasingly participating as important stakeholders in forests. Furthermore, the report states that good practices in terms of gender in forest policy can be drawn from Scandinavia and North America.

Finally, the publication notes that compared to developed countries, developing countries have conducted much more research on gender in forestry, with a majority of this research focusing on ensuring the effective participation of women in forest management.

IUFRO is a member of the Collaborative Partnership on Forests (CPF). [IUFRO Press Release] [Publication: Environmental Governance and Four Decades of Gender Research]