{"id":7304,"date":"2024-03-26T01:12:02","date_gmt":"2024-03-26T01:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blue-forests.org\/?p=7304"},"modified":"2024-03-26T01:15:41","modified_gmt":"2024-03-26T01:15:41","slug":"the-role-of-women-in-protecting-indragiri-hilirs-coastal-resources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blue-forests.org\/en\/the-role-of-women-in-protecting-indragiri-hilirs-coastal-resources\/newsroom\/story-from-the-field\/","title":{"rendered":"The Role of Women in Protecting Indragiri Hilir’s Coastal Resources"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

Natural resource conservation faces many challenges, one of them being gender roles
\nand gender discrimination. On the whole, the conservation world is still dominated by men,
\ndespite the fact that women are among the social groups most vulnerable to environmental
\nchange and that women often play major roles in the day-to-day management of local natural
\nresources. The involvement of women in conservation work is needed to provide new
\nperspectives in the management and preservation of the environment.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The gradual process of increasing women\u2019s representation in coastal area conservation
\ncan be seen at Blue Forest project sites in Indragiri Hilir regency, Riau province. For example, in
\nIgal village and Cawan Island village, several women\u2019s groups have emerged. Tasked with
\ncommunity-based environmental stewardship, these women work shoulder-to-shoulder to
\nprotect mangrove forests and coastal ecosystems from exploitation. Although the total number
\nof women involved is still small, these groups have proven to be a valuable source for
\nunderstanding the potential role for women in Indragiri Hilir\u2019s conservation movement and have
\ngiven a new color to these efforts.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Jumriana (37) is a member of Masyarakat Mitra Polhut (MMP, Community Forest Ranger
\nPartners) and Kelompok Masyarakat Pengawas (Pokmaswas, Community Forest Watchers) in
\nIgal village. Jumriana, or Yana as she is affectionately called by friends, originally returned to
\nher hometown after obtaining her Master\u2019s degree in the department of Social Welfare Sciences
\nat the University of Indonesia, in Jakarta, and staying on in the capital city to work for seven
\nyears after graduating. \u201cCalling it my calling in life, that would be a bit clich\u00e9. I just want to help
\nout,\u201d stated Yana about her motivation to join as an active member in the MMP and Pokmaswas
\ngroups.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Four women from Cawan Island village, Nur Aisyah (30), Julia Nafita Yanti (28), Rahimah (43),
\nand Raja Ramlah (47), are known to always been seen together working as members of the
\nlocal MMP and Pokmaswas. These women also routinely collect sea snails from the village
\nwaters, which usually sell for around Rp25,000\/kg (around $1.50 USD). It was precisely their
\nwork as snail collectors that led them to become involved in conservation. The snail catches
\nwere no longer abundant like before, which the women intuitively connected to the impacts of
\ncoastal environmental degradation, pushing them to participate in efforts to protect these
\necosystems.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Furthermore, environmental changes continued to hit home in the form of seasonal high tide
\nflooding, which now routinely came every year. These floods managed to reach and inundate
\nthe women\u2019s homes and gardens, decreasing agricultural production and impacting local food
\nsources. The environmental changes can be traced to both global processes, like climate
\nchange, and local processes in Indragiri Hilir regency, including wide-scale mangrove
\nclearcutting, with mangrove wood commonly used for charcoal and as an affordable
\nconstruction material for local buildings, representing a dilemma between development and
\nenvironment. Harmful fishing practices, such as the use of poison, have also been documented
\nin the region.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Given this situation, village-level forest watch groups like MMP and Pokmaswas have an
\nimportant role to play in the protection of their local natural resources. This is exactly what
\nJumriana and the women of Cawan Island have set out to do with their local groups. Even
\nthough the groups are still dominated by men, the women have an impactful role and voice
\nwithin these groups, which require socially conscious approaches to dealing with violations and
\ndecision making.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The women have found full support from their fellow group members and from their families.
\nWhenever they are engaged in work with the groups, they do not feel that they are treated
\ndifferently only because they are women. However, one challenge is balancing domestic
\nobligations with conservation activities. Jumriana and the Cawan Island women have adopted
\nnew schedules to accommodate both worlds. For example, they are now used to waking up
\nextra early in order to cook for the household on days with group conservation activities. They
\noften must negotiate between the demands of these two roles and choose between them in the
\ncase of schedule conflicts.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

The women\u2019s involvement in the forest watch groups has led to improvements in environmental
\nmessaging and a decrease in the number of violations. Their conservation work also bleeds
\nover in the domestic and social spheres, where the women often find themselves sharing their
\nstories and experiences. For Jumriana and the Cawan Island women, everyday gatherings for
\ngossip and small talk, an essential feature of life in the villages, have become opportunities to
\neducate family, friends, and neighbors on the challenges, potential, and importance of
\nsustainable mangrove management. This approach can be considered a strategic and
\nsustainable method of increasing local environmental consciousness.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

Even though many of their efforts to protect the environment and educate their communities
\nmay not have instantly visible impacts, these women conservationists believe that their work
\nwith make a difference in the long term. They also want to contribute to the development of
\nalternative livelihoods for the women in their communities through the promotion of processed
\nmangrove products and fisheries, which they hope will allow families to support themselves in a
\nmore sustainable way.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Natural resource conservation faces many challenges, one of them being gender roles and gender discrimination. On the whole, the conservation world is still dominated by men, despite the fact that women are among the social groups most vulnerable to environmental change 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