Barriers and Solutions for Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Nature-based Adaptation and Resilience Interventions

Nature-based interventions or solutions are considered as panacea to simultaneously address ecological and social challenges in disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation. They are diverse in type and scope and can be implemented at different scales, by different people (e.g. based on age, gender, other intersecting factors), for different purposes.

As with other community-focussed interventions, nature-based interventions are set and implemented in existing social settings with inherent power relationships that bear the risk to (systematically) exclude marginalized groups from participating in and benefiting from these interventions. Or they exacerbate already existing inequalities and harmful social and gender norms that further limit marginalized groups from already excluded positions within societies. As such, while providing improvements for nature and ecosystems, they may not automatically provide social or economic benefits for vulnerable livelihoods and marginalized groups despite being labelled to offer solutions that are equitable. The unfolding of multiple benefits can be substantially limited and hindered by existing social context, including inherent power dynamics and harmful social and gender norms.

Consequently, the people most impacted by climate change, ecosystem and biodiversity degradation and most in need of impactful adaptation and risk reduction measures are at risk of not benefiting from nature-based climate solutions. There is need to explicitly understand the unique challenges as well as the unique opportunities and entry points available to ensure nature-based interventions benefit marginalized groups.

The Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance is a multi-sectoral partnership focused on enhancing resilience to climate hazards in both rural and urban communities. By implementing solutions, promoting good practice, influencing policy and facilitating systemic change, we aim to ensure that all communities facing climate hazards are able to thrive.

Nature-based interventions play a key role in adaptation and resilience building to climate hazards. To ensure quality interventions that effectively reach marginalized groups and provide them with long term multiple and sustainable benefits, we are preparing a guidance brief to look at the opportunities and challenges with integrating gender equality and social inclusion in nature-based adaptation and resilience thinking.

Questions the brief wants to address:

• What does equality, inclusivity, and accessibility mean for nature-based interventions?
• How equitable, inclusive and accessible are diverse nature-based interventions (e.g. reforestation, watershed management)?
• Which type of interventions are more suitable for different marginalized groups?
• What are the opportunities/recommendations to make nature-based interventions for adaptation and disaster risk reduction more equal, inclusive, and accessible?

With the proposed presentation we want to draw attention to the less obvious challenges of nature-based approaches on the livelihood side from a gender equality and social inclusion perspective and the risk of benefits not being accessible to marginalized groups, present preliminary findings from our assessment of nature-based interventions that Zurich Climate Resilience Alliance partners are supporting, and share some ideas and examples of nature-based interventions that can specifically target women, elderly or people with disabilities and better meet the unique challenges and opportunities that they face.