This summary report highlights the issues discussed during the Scoping Dialogue on the Exclusion and Inclusion of Women in the Forest Sector in Kathmandu, Nepal held on Sept 22-24 by WOCAN in partnership with The Forests Dialogue (TFD). The objective of the scoping dialogue was to better understand the constraints and perceived advantages of including women in the governance of natural resource management. This summary report highlights some of the reasons such as social-cultural factors being a primary reason for women’s exclusion and how forestry and forest management is still viewed as male domain with insignificant recognition of women’s contribution in forest management. Participants also discussed the lack of gender awareness in forestry institutions, lack of champions of women’s rights and also the fact that women’s rights are not directly linked with property rights or customary rights.
