Community forest management, governance and gender in Hidalgo, Mexico

Abstract

Women are important users of forest resources. However, their participation in forest governance is limited, and the reasons for this have not been sufficiently explored in Mexico. This paper shows that gender discrimination in land tenure, the gender division of labor, the unequal distribution of benefits and the strictly commercial view of forest management plans contribute to women’s exclusion from community forest management (CFM). It is essential to overcome these obstacles and include women’s interests and needs in cfm in order to improve forest governance in the country.