Prof.dr. P.L. Howard-Borjas : Role of women in maintaining biodiversity

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10 May 2001 16:00
Unit: Wageningen University

 Today and in future, the way women are viewed in relation to plant biodiversity will greatly influence our ability to halt the erosion of plant biodiversity, particularly of plants that are useful to humans. Women manage the majority of the world’s plant biodiversity and hold the majority of plant knowledge because their daily work requires more of this knowledge. Their knowledge is under-estimated and their management practices are under-valued due to biases in botany and related sciences traceable back to the Enlightenment. Women predominate as wild plant gatherers and managers, herbalists, homegardeners, seed custodians and plant breeders. Most plants have domestic uses. Domestic ethnobotanical knowledge and skills in food and medicinal preparation, storage and processing, and in handicraft production determine the utility of plants for humans, and the kitchen and pantry are probably the most under-valued sites of conservation. Due to gender bias, scientists and conservationists barely recognize this reality, which leads to erroneous scientific results and ill-conceived policies. A substantial body of under-utilized knowledge on women, gender relations and plants is being compiled and analysed at Wageningen. This can be used to overcome biases and lead to scientific efforts, policies and conservation practices that can guarantee that all three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity are met, particularly the third: the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from its use.
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