Women Aim to Level the Playing Field
Among Men in Conservation Clusters
In celebration of the Philippine Women’s Month, the DENR-UNDP/GEF Biodiversity Corridor Project presents women pursuing steps to conserve biodiversity, and investing their time and effort in BD conservation to benefit their families and communities. WE, in BD Corridor, recognize and support women empowerment as our contribution to a more equitable and sustainable world.
TUBOD, Surigao del Norte, 31 March 2023 — In the topmost conservation cluster of the Eastern Mindanao Biodiversity Corridor (EMBC), women leaders are targeting to level the playing field, even trying to ace the game in a huge playground still dominated by men.
Part of the list of initial components under the Expanded National Integrated Protected Areas System (E-NIPAS), both the Surigao Watershed Forest Reserve (SWFR) and the Surigao del Norte Protected Landscape and Seascape (SPLS) are within the Biodiversity Corridor Project’s EMBC. Notably, this Project is implemented by the Department of Environment and Natural Resources (DENR) and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) Philippines, with support from the Global Environment Facility (GEF).
According to Marife Jaudian Macalisang, chief of the Conservation and Development section of DENR Caraga region’s Community Environment and Natural Resources Office (CENRO) Tubod office, based in neighboring Taganaan town, women leaders aim to bridge the gap in career opportunities that have generally and traditionally favored their male counterparts. Women have widened and strengthened their networks, with the aim of striving to mainstream gender-responsive practices in the conservation sector.
As the Protected Area Superintendent (PASu) designate for both SWFR and SPLS, Macalisang wishes that gender equality and women’s empowerment be prioritized in the conservation agenda, with opportunities for deserving women to rise from the ranks of government service.
“The bias towards preferring men taking the leadership role is still evident, and this hinders opportunities for qualified women to take on the challenge,” Macalisang said. “I am not a behavioral expert or anything but I believe, (well) perhaps it is because it may be deeply ingrained among men as dictated by culture and tradition, that men should be the ‘knight in shining armor,’ always playing the ‘gentleman’ role, the father figure, the provider, the bread winner.”
She added: “It might not be a conscious decision but probably because of those things I mentioned, the decision to hand over leadership responsibilities to women is ‘affected’ in a way. So, I am hoping that the government will find a way to work around those ‘biases’ to level the field and give women a fighting chance.”
Women in Wildlife and Wetlands
Saying women should not embody the so-called perfect persona based on the dictates of society, Macalisang shared some of the challenges she has faced as a woman in the field and as a prominent female figure in conservation. She said she has observed that empowered women in the fields of wildlife conservation and wetlands management are generally strong-willed, confident but self-aware, results-oriented, persuasive and unafraid to speak their minds.
When it comes to actual practice, these women are hands-on, mentoring people instead of micro-managing, appreciative of small wins and easy to commend their staff for a job well done.
In overcoming these obstacles and challenges, despite still feeling sometimes as a “second-class citizen,” she said she looks forward to the time when an organization recognizes the contributions of women with extraordinary academic and professional achievements. Women who have the same or similar education, skills and experiences can be given a chance to show what they can contribute, Macalisang added.
After getting promotion in 2015 and rising from the ranks, she said she saw it as a wonderful opportunity, taking it as a big win and counting her blessings each day. “The opportunity given to me was manna from heaven. I am hoping that in the near future, maybe I can be given again another opportunity to serve in a higher role in the department to expand my circle of influence, and mentor more women and men to consciously appreciate and embrace true conservation work,” Macalisang said.
Celebrating the National Women’s Month this March 2023, the DENR-UNDP/GEF Biodiversity Corridor Project works to attain ecologically representative and well-connected conservation systems, increasing conservation-related enterprises while helping generate jobs in ecotourism, sustainable agriculture, ecosystem restoration and other biodiversity-friendly initiatives, thereby benefitting the lives and livelihood of women and their networks.
Networks and Roles
Emphasizing the need for compassionate and harmonized networks towards gender equality and women’s empowerment, Macalisang lauded the role of networks in promoting equality in the conservation sector as a welcome opportunity. She said networks provide avenues for expanding women’s circles of support systems as they take on more leadership roles in the sector.
“The synergistic result in engaging into networks will pave ways for us to benefit from accessing expertise, sharing of resources and information as well as expanding our circle of influence,” Macalisang explained. “Conservation work needs networks to connect and be connected.”
Providing more capacity-building opportunities for women can encourage participation of more indigenous women in conservation, enhancing their skills and capacities to participate in more productive work instead of being pigeonholed in reproductive roles based on culture.
“Biologically, women are designed to nurture life, so we should channel and enhance this innate behavior to mold champions,” Macalisang said, as she recommended more initiatives at the village level to look for potential women conservation champions. (EMBC/Carl Van Lucero)