For Environment, Democracy and Livelihoods
A two day ‘Gender Responsive Forest Fire Management and Response Consultation Workshop‘ was organised under the project titled ‘Fostering Community-Led Forest Fire Management in High Altitude Regions of Nepal’, supported by Australian Himalayan Foundation (AHF). Two separate events were held; one in Chautara, Sindhupalchowk on May 23, 2025, with 22 participants (7 male and 15 female), and another in Sailung, Dolakha on May 24, 2025, with 19 participants (10 male and 9 female). Participants included representatives from Community Forest User Groups (CFUGs), the municipality, chairpersons from wards, the Divisional Forest Office, and the Sub-Divisional Forest Office. The main objective of the workshop was to sensitize community members and stakeholders on the importance of incorporating gender perspectives in forest fire management and to collect feedback on the draft guideline being developed for this purpose.
During the workshops, Kanchan Lama, ForestAction Nepal (FAN) delivered a presentation on the general overview of natural resources management, focusing on inclusive governance and gender equity. Saraswati Aryal, Divisional Forest Officer from Bhaktapur, shared insights on gender issues in forest fire management, stressing how women and marginalized groups often bear a greater burden but have limited representation in decision-making processes. Similarly, Srijana Sigdel, from FA N, facilitated an interactive discussion on the draft Gender-Responsive Forest Fire Management Guideline, gathering valuable community input.
Key findings from the workshops revealed that while women are active in forest fire response, they are underrepresented in leadership roles. Traditional gender roles limit their participation in trainings and decision-making, highlighting the need for inclusive, gender-specific capacity building. Many participants noted this was their first fire-related training, indicating a strong need for more regular training opportunities. It was also shared that institutions often send only women to gender-focused events; participants emphasized that both men and women should be equally involved to truly mainstream gender in forest fire management. The draft guideline received strong support, with suggestions including social and gender-disaggregated data collection, more training, and gender-sensitive budgeting.
