Gender inclusion in forest landscape governance research and education in Southeast Asia

The Explore initiative, funded by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency, works to strengthen the capacities of universities and researchers in Southeast Asia to conduct quality, impact-oriented research on forest landscape governance.

One of Explore’s focal areas is gender inclusion. Gender inequities pose significant challenges to forest landscape governance in Southeast Asia but are often overlooked. Effective research could help to confront these inequities. However, there are barriers preventing this kind of research from taking place and driving change.

To understand these barriers and identify ways to overcome them, the Explore team produced this assessment. The study examined three interrelated components that are crucial to strengthening gender-based inclusion in forest governance research and related higher education: representation, capacities and the enabling environment. The analysis is based on a literature review, interviews with 19 experts and 88 responses to a survey.