Women's empowerment is emerging as a critical catalyst for successful conservation outcomes in Transfrontier Conservation Areas (TFCAs), with new evidence showing that gender transformative approaches strengthen both community resilience and biodiversity protection across southern Africa.
Addressing participants during a Webinar on Advancing Gender Equity on Conservation, Director of Realife Learning, Jane Burt said despite women providing 60-80 percent of food production in rural Southern Africa Development Community (SADC) regions and serving as key contributors to regenerative agriculture, land restoration, and climate adaptation, they remain significantly underrepresented in wildlife economies, including tourism, hunting, and conservancy management.
"True development is not measured by how many people we support, but by how many people we empower to stand on their own."
Current data reveals stark inequalities: women hold less than 20 per cent of land ownership, face restricted access to finance, inputs, and training, and have low participation in decision-making and leadership roles. Cultural and patriarchal norms continue to reinforce exclusion from conservation economies.
According to Rudo Chasi, a representative of Zimbabwean Women in Conservation, these barriers have far-reaching implications.
“They limit the adoption of climate-smart agriculture and regenerative practices, reduce benefits from TFCA-linked biodiversity economies, and constrain ecosystem restoration, conservation outcomes, and community resilience”.
Climate Resilience and Natural Resource Management (C-NRM) Project Director for the SADC Region, Martha Leshego, said a gender-transformative conservation framework is now being implemented across TFCAs, built on three foundational pillars, including influence that focuses on women's participation and decision-making in Community-Based Natural Resource Management (CBNRM) and TFCA governance structures. “This shifts the focus from mere participation to actual power, ownership, and decision-making authority.”
The initiative is supported by robust global and regional policy frameworks, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), UNFCCC Gender Action Plan, CEDAW, Sustainable Development Goals (particularly SDGs 5, 13, and 15), and SADC Protocols on Gender and Development.
Recent policy progress expands community Appropriate Authority (AA) over wildlife enterprises, including hunting quotas and permits, enables community cooperatives and trusts to manage wildlife resources, and ensures communities can benefit directly from wildlife enterprises.
Chasi highlighted that when women are empowered in TFCA landscapes, the benefits multiply. She explained that women's participation transforms power relations in resource governance, improves access to conservation economies, and reshapes social norms around participation and leadership.
"This is not just about gender equality, it's about conservation effectiveness. When women have authority over resources, participate in climate adaptation decisions, and benefit from biodiversity economies, entire communities become more resilient, and conservation outcomes improve."
SADC TFCA Coordinator, Steve Collins, said as TFCAs continue to evolve, the integration of gender-transformative approaches promises to unlock the full potential of community-based conservation, ensuring that women's essential roles in agriculture, land management, and climate adaptation are recognised, valued, and empowered for the benefit of both people and wildlife.
The author is a Reporter at the Botswana Guardian
