10 February 2022
The Island Sun newspaper today features an article on how the women from Hageulu are moving to protect and conserve their Tubi forest in the Highland of Isabel Province.
This comes after a successful consultation headed by a local conservation organization Network for Indigenous People Solomon Islands (NIPS).
In an attempt to build resilience and weave gender approaches to biodiversity governance, the group sets off to do their first consultation with the highland community of Hageulu after the New Year.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) at its 15th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP15) will adopt an ambitious global biodiversity framework to work towards a vision of Living in Harmony with nature to 2050. To attain living in harmony, NIPS ensures that the first consultation includes women.
The presence of the knowledge gap on the roles that women play in biodiversity conservation, are unfortunately enhanced with the short falls of addressing gender dimension of biodiversity on national plans and goals that has different impacts on men, women, boys and girls.
With the goal to strengthen gender-responsive ecosystem restoration approaches into national goals and international commitments. Women in Hageulu share their views and experiences on their contributions to conserve and restoration of their forests, especially Tubi forest which is plenty in their area.
The women shared their goal to successfully nurse the Tubi seedlings and restore their forest which was accidently lit by intruders, with drought enhancing the dissertation. Without the forest the community of Hageulu has to walk the distance through the deserted landscape to reach their village.
Apart from providing shade, the women shared their values during the consultation on the cultural and societal significance they have of the tree species.
Among the outcomes, the community also agreed to work together to nurse the seedlings and restore their once lash forest. NIPS will assist the women to further their plans and activities for Tubi forest restoration whereby the project will go on for the next 3 years.
NIPS upholds the conviction that indigenous, Lands and Resources are more valuable to indigenous people. With the view that they are life itself and have an integral and spiritual value for communities.
Footnote.
Biodiversity underpins the ecosystems and their services and functions are vital to life. And while Landscape restoration efforts are a critical strategy for tackling acute societal challenges of our time, including global food security, access to clean water and so on. There is also a growing recognition of the role of women in forest restoration, but there is not much information on their contributions to restoring ecosystems.
Source - Article by: NIPS Comms and published by Island Sun newspaper.
Yours sincerely
Frank Short
