Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation

The report argues that climate and biodiversity crises disproportionately affect marginalized populations and that NbS must be gender-responsive to be effective. It proposes a framework based on three foundational elements: recognizing differences in needs and capacities, facilitating equitable participation in decision-making, and promoting an equitable distribution of benefits. The document outlines a five-step project cycle—understanding the system, risk assessment, identifying options, implementation, and monitoring, evaluation, and learning (MEL)—to mainstream GESI, supported by case studies from Vietnam, Cuba, Bangladesh, Nigeria, and Bolivia.

• Climate change and biodiversity loss impacts vary significantly based on gender and intersecting identity factors, with systemically marginalized populations often being disproportionately affected.
• International policy frameworks for biodiversity and adaptation often fail to adequately include gender and social inclusion; for example, less than half of analyzed national biodiversity strategies and action plans (NBSAPs) mentioned gender or women.
• Mainstreaming GESI in NbS can improve project effectiveness and conservation outcomes, as evidenced by forest management groups in India and Nepal that included women and showed better resource governance.
• NbS projects that ignore GESI risk causing maladaptation or exacerbating existing inequalities, including increasing the risk of gender-based violence (GBV) for women collecting forest resources.
• Environmental changes can specifically impact men's mental health and identity, particularly when traditional masculine roles, such as fishing in Indigenous communities, are compromised.
• A gender-responsive approach to NbS is built on three foundational elements: recognizing differences in needs and capacities, ensuring equitable participation in decision-making, and ensuring the fair distribution of benefits.
• The report recommends a five-step implementation cycle for GESI mainstreaming: (A) Understanding the system, (B) Risk assessment, (C) Identifying and appraising options, (D) Implementation, and (E) Monitoring, Evaluation, and Learning (MEL).
• Effective GESI integration requires the use of intersectional analysis tools, such as Gender-Based Analysis Plus (GBA Plus), to understand how various identity characteristics inform the barriers individuals face.
• Case studies demonstrate that gender-responsive NbS can lead to tangible benefits, such as improved food security in Bangladesh through women's control over fishing resources and the use of 'talking maps' in Bolivia to identify ecological threats to women and youth.

APA

Caswell, C., & Jang, N. (2024). Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-01/gender-equality-social-inclusion-nature-based-solutions.pdf

Chicago

Caswell, Calais, and Nicole Jang. Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2024. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-01/gender-equality-social-inclusion-nature-based-solutions.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Caswell |first1=Calais |last2=Jang |first2=Nicole |title=Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=January 2024 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-01/gender-equality-social-inclusion-nature-based-solutions.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{caswell2024mainstreaming, author = {Caswell, Calais and Jang, Nicole}, title = {{Mainstreaming Gender Equality and Social Inclusion in Nature-Based Solutions for Climate Change Adaptation}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2024}, month = jan, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/2024-01/gender-equality-social-inclusion-nature-based-solutions.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }