Amanda Bradley, Abidah Setyowati, Jeannette Gurung, Donal Yeang, Channa Net, Samnang Khiev and Julien Brewster, ‘Gender and REDD+: An Assessment in the Oddar Meanchey Community Forestry REDD+Site, Cambodia’, Washington, DC: PACT, January 2013.

The importance of integration of gender in sustainable forest management has been proven through decades of research and experience. By contrast, consideration of gender in the emerging REDD+ discussions has been lacking, with energies concentrated in political, technical, and funding issues. There are numerous reasons for turning this situation around and making concerted efforts to address gender concerns in REDD+ including adherence to an internationally recognized human rights approach, arguments of increased efficiency, efficacy and sustainability, as well as simple good business sense. A number of barriers and challenges exist including a male-dominated forestry sector, high labor burden for women, and poor understanding of relationships and nuanced power dynamics within communities.