TCD alumna and TCD Faculty publish article on gender and forest resources management

Dr. Ana Luiza Violato Espada (SFGSS and TCD alumna) and Dr. Karen A. Kainer recently published a study of women’s participation in seven community-based timber projects within three Brazilian Amazonian extractive reserves. The article Women and timber management: From assigned cook to strategic decision-maker of community land use is free for download until April 8, 2023.

The study is part of Dr. Espada’s dissertation work titled “Collaborative Community Timber Management: A Comparative Analysis of Actors’ Roles and Perceptions, Power Dynamics, and Women’s Empowerment in the Brazilian Amazon.” Carried out over 15 months, the first author interviewed 52 respondents, conducted participant observation, and led a focus group discussion that included community concept drawing activities. Within a participatory methodology approach, the authors uncovered that while collaborative timber management projects still centered on male workers, in two of the three extractive reserves, empowerment processes ultimately opened spaces for greater engagement by women overall in strategic administrative and logging coordinator positions.

Dr. Espada prepared a set of six infographics in Portuguese that summarizes the dissertation work to return results to varied audiences. If you are interested in more information, please contact Dr. Espada by email or visit her webpage.