Women's Solutions: Visual Stories

High fashion from the heart of the Brazilian Amazon: Teçume da Floresta and the empowerment of women 

Teçume da Floresta is an association of women and men artisans from the Brazilian state of Amazonas who, through "teçume" (weaving with vegetable fibers), produce fashion objects (bags, purses and jewelry) and decorative items (lamps, vases and baskets). In addition to preserving traditional weaving techniques, the group generates income for the women and has managed to increase their participation in the management of natural resources.

Women in the Management of Natural Protected Areas: Productive Associations around Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park, Peru

Peru's National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SERNANP), with the support of multiple projects, such as the ASL Program, has been working towards the integrated management of the country's protected areas.  Yanachaga-Chemillén National Park (PNYCH) represents a national pilot for the inclusion of a gender strategy in the management of these areas in Peru.

Overcoming Conflict: ADISPA and Women's Leadership in the Perla Amazónica Campesino Reserve Zone, Colombia

The Asociación de Desarrollo Integral Sostenible Perla Amazónica (ADISPA) is a community organization that manages and administers the Perla Amazónica Campesino Reserve Zone (ZRCPA), which arose from the local need to claim rights that guarantee better conditions for peasant families in the department of Putumayo.

Women and sustainable Brazil nut management: the example of ASCART, Peru

In Peru, SERNANP, the authority in charge of the National System of Natural Areas Protected by the State (SINANPE), has been strengthening various cross-cutting strategies to improve the effectiveness of NPA management, conservation and sustainable development.  This includes promoting and supporting local productive actors such as the Association of Tambopata National Reserve Chestnut Growers (ASCART).  This association is relevant for its inclusion of women in production chains and, above all, for its social and economic success in the panorama of organizations working with non-timber forest products (NTFPs).

A family approach to guarantee women's participation: ASOCAPRICHO's Conservation Agreement, Colombia

The Conservation Agreements initiative with farmer families in the department of Guaviare, implemented together with the ASOCAPRICHO organization, is a long-term process that has gathered multiple experiences and lessons learned in order to promote integrated conservation and sustainable development schemes. This process has strengthened alternative and sustainable ways to remain in the territory and consolidate peace scenarios. The construction of truly integrated schemes and the promotion of sustainable permanence options were strengthened by incorporating women.

From invisible to key actors in sustainable fisheries management: the women of the Tupana River, Brazil

The women of the Tupana River fish almost every day in areas close to their homes to feed their households, therefore they were considered as users of the river, and as such their presence was requested and valued in the decision-making processes for the elaboration of the Tupana River Fishing Agreement.  Their inclusion was key to ensure that women's differentiated uses of the river were respected, and to discuss changes in the river as a result of predatory fishing and ways to mitigate them.