v. What is the role of women in environmental conservation and sustainable development?
In India, women have traditionally played a significant role in environmental conservation and management, particularly in rural communities where they often rely on natural resources for their livelihoods and well-being.
- In most developing countries like India, women play a major role as farmers, animal rearers, and water and fuel collectors.
- Various environmental movements like the Bishnoi movement, Chipko Movement, Appiko movement, Silent valley movement, and Narmada Bachao Andolan are the significant environmental movements of India that reflect the integral leadership of women.
- The government of India has adopted various policies and programmes such as the Joint Forest Management (JFM) program of the 1990s mandated that women comprise 33% of the membership in the management committees.
- Today, there is a growing emphasis on “mainstreaming” women’s role in the planning, implementing, and monitoring of all sustainable development and environmental management programmes.