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This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the disproportionate negative impacts of large-scale development projects—such as dams and mines—on women's human rights to water, food, and a healthy environment. It highlights the gap between international legal instruments and their practical implementation, particularly in countries with weak governance, and provides recommendations for governments, companies, and civil society to protect women's land rights and ensure their participation in decision-making.

This policy brief argues that government-led conservation efforts are increasingly used to forcibly evict indigenous forest-dwelling communities from their ancestral lands, often masking commercial interests like mining and tourism. Using case studies from the Panna Tiger Reserve in India and the Embobut Forest in Kenya, the document details the loss of livelihoods, the disproportionate impact on women, and the failure of compensation schemes. It calls for conservation policies to be aligned with human rights, the implementation of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and the legal securing of indigenous land rights.