CASE STUDIES ON GENDER AND FORESTS IN COSTA RICA NATIONAL REDD+ STRATEGY Disclaimer This work is a product of the staff of The World Bank developed in collaboration with staff from the Costa Rican Ministry of Environment and Energy. The findings, interpretations, and views expressed in this work do not necessarily reflect the views of the World Bank, its Executive Directors, or the governments that they represent. The World Bank does not guarantee the accuracy of the data included in this work. The boundaries, colors, denominations, and other information shown on any map in this work do not imply any judgment on the part of the World Bank concerning the legal status of any territory or the endorsement or acceptance of such boundaries. Rights and permits The material in this work is subject to copyright. Because the World Bank encourages dissemination of its knowledge, this work may be reproduced, in whole or in part, for non-commercial purposes, as long as full attribution to this work is given. For all other purposes, send an email to: [email protected] Acknowledgements This document was prepared by a team comprising Andrea Quesada-Aguilar, Thais Aguilar, staff of the Costa Rican REDD+ Secretariat (María Elena Herrera, Elena Florian, and Héctor Arce), and World Bank staff (Stavros Papageorgiou). The graphic design was done by Estudio Relativo. The team would like to thank the REDD+ Secretariat for its logistical and financial support for carrying out the field visits, as well as the Forest Carbon Partnership Facility (FCPF) and its donor countries for financing this report. This publication is a component of the Gender Action Plan of Costa Rica’s National REDD+ Strategy, and forms part of the initiatives that the National REDD+ Secretariat has carried out since 2011 to adequately address gender issues in REDD+ related processes. These processes are based on the Gender and REDD+ Roadmap developed by the REDD+ Secretariat in 2016. Through these initiatives, including this work, the REDD+ Secretariat carried out the first analysis of the current situation in the country in terms of forests, gender, and climate change mitigation, including this work. To obtain the information for this work, several field visits were organized during 2018 and interviews were conducted with government officials, members of local communities, and other relevant stakeholders. All of the interviews and photographs contained in this work were obtained with the informed consent of the persons involved, granted during the field visits. The team wishes to express its deep gratitude to the men and women of the local communities who contributed to this work by sharing their experiences. © 2019 International Bank for Reconstruction and Development /World Bank 1818 H Street NW Washington DC 20433 Telephone: 202-473-1000 Internet: www.worldbank.org ACRONYMS EN-REDD+ National REDD+ Strategy INAMU National Women’s Institute REDD+ Reducing Emissions from FCPF Forest Carbon Partnership Facility MINAE Ministry of Environment and Energy Deforestation and Forest FONAFIFO Costa Rica Forest Financing Fund PAM Policies, Actions, and Measures of Degradation GAP Gender Action Plan of the National the REDD+ Strategy PROFOR Program on Forests (World Bank) REDD+ Strategy SINAC National Conservation Areas System Introduction Costa Rica was one of the first developing countries to • Gender analysis of the current situation, including actions to succeed in reversing deforestation and increasing its forest recognize and empower women as relevant stakeholders. cover, transitioning from covering 20% in the 1980s to 53% • Institutional strengthening and sensitization for the of its national territory today. This was possible due to the implementation of a gender-responsive EN-REDD+. implementation of several innovative public policies that • Design of a gender-responsive process for the included restrictions to forest land use change; the expansion implementation of the EN-REDD+. of the National Protected Areas system to include 25% of the country’s land area; and the creation of a consumption tax on The objective of the gender analysis was to improve the fossil fuels that generates revenues to promote programs to understanding of the country’s current situation with regard reduce deforestation and forest degradation, promote forest to forests, gender, and climate change mitigation. To carry conservation and restoration, and improve forest carbon stocks out this analysis, a “bottom up” participatory approach was through Payments for Environmental Services (PES). adopted to complement national data based on the realities, needs, and priorities of rural women in Costa Rica. For this In recent years, the government of Costa Rica has recognized purpose, different communities were visited in priority forest the importance of adequately addressing gender equality conservation and management areas to identify case studies, issues in REDD+1 processes. Since 2011, the REDD+ Secretariat inequalities, opportunities, challenges, and lessons learned in has been working to integrate gender equality into different relation to gender equality and forests. processes associated with the preparation of the National REDD+ Strategy (EN-REDD+), in partnership with gender Documenting the different experiences of women’s experts, civil society organizations, groups of indigenous associations and women who contribute to the protection women, and rural smallholder forest producers. and sustainable management of forests was one of the main actions for the gender analysis. This activity was of As part of these efforts, a workshop was organized in 2016 to great importance for the country, since, despite the efforts of define and design a critical roadmap on gender to incorporate certain institutions, much of the information on forest project this issue in the preparation process of the EN-REDD+. Based experiences that have incorporated a gender perspective on this roadmap, the REDD+ Secretariat, with the support of remains undocumented. This documents presents a set the World Bank, commenced a process in April 2018 for the of case studies that were identified during the process of development of the Gender Action Plan (GAP) of the EN-REDD+ development of the EN-REDD+ Gender Action Plan. The which proposes three lines of action and a series of activities aim is that this summary will be the start of a process for for each line. The three lines of action for the development of documenting women’s voices and their contributions to the the GAP are: conservation and sustainable management of forests, and for this document to continue incorporating more and more contributions and success stories nationwide. 1 Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation FOREST-RELATED ACTIVITIES Water Cocoa Fires Seeds Organic Farming Ecotourism Indigenous Peoples Agroforestry System Handicrafts Education Forest Management Nurseries Analog Forestry Livestock Payments for Environmental Services FOREST-RELATED ACTIVITIES 1. Women forest owners involved 10. Hojarte produces handicrafts made 17. Autochthonous Seed Protection in the Forest Management and with the seeds of native species. Program and Model Farm “La Libre” Certification Project as an option 11. Women farmers of the of the Sancarleña Network of Rural for the conservation of tropical Guanacasteca Organic Agro Women (Rescamur). forests (MAFOR Project). Association. 18. The Association Commission of 2. Women lead novel ecotourism 12. Co-led forest fire brigades from Indigenous Women of Talamanca initiatives through “Caminos Cerros de Jesús. (ACOMUITA) promotes cocoa de Osa”. 13. Global Alliance for Green farming on agroforestry farms and 3. Water resource management from and Gender Action (GAGGA) ethno-tourism. a gender perspective. of the International Analog 19. Women’s home in Yorkín diversifies 4. Luis Jorge Poveda Álvarez Forestry Network (IAFN) and livelihoods, promotes conservation, Arboretum involves youth in Agroecologic Reserve El Toledo and strengthens culture. environmental education. promote women’s involvement in 20. Traditional indigenous farms are 5. Morpho de Osa Tours offers an analog forestry. agroforestry systems of great economic alternative for women 14. The Protection and Fire Program in importance for women and through ecotourism. the Guanacaste Conservation Area conservation. 6. Women artisans design wood (ACG) involves men and women of 21. Asociación Kátsako (Women products with unique identity. all ages. Defenders of the Land) empowers 7. The Association of Active Women 15. Participation of women and youth women, creates economic of the Biological Corridor Alexander in livestock activities in Santa Cruz, opportunities, and revives Skutch (AMACOBAS) promotes Turrialba. traditional agroforestry practices. organized production and 16. Experiences with Payments for 22. The Indigenous Womens environmental education. Environmental Services Payments Association Cabécar Kábata 8. Female organic farmers of the (PES) and their contribution to Konana brings together women Nicoya Peninsula. women’s development. from different communities to 9. Women-led tree nurseries. promote forest conservation and sustainable management initiatives. 11 14 10 16 15 21 20 22 17 13 19 8 9 5 18 2 12 7 4 6 1 3 OSA PENINSULA 1. WOMEN FOREST OWNERS INVOLVED IN THE FOREST MANAGEMENT AND CERTIFICATION PROJECT AS AN OPTION FOR THE CONSERVATION OF TROPICAL FORESTS (MAFOR PROJECT) This project works with forest owners from the Marketing women forest-owners