Women’s empowerment for conservation

Women’s empowerment for conservation

By Stephan, founder of Heco and Himalayan Ecotourism

This article led to the writing of “Building a sustainable future : The possible role of enterprises in economic welfare and conservation“

For decades, the West has been at the forefront of advocating for equality, particularly in gender equality. Growing up in Europe, I never noticed any significant difference between men and women, except perhaps that girls preferred dolls and boys leaned towards toy cars, likely a remnant of Europe’s patriarchal history.

However, when I moved to India, I found things were quite different. Being born a girl or a boy in India makes a significant difference. The social status of men and women is unequal, with Indian society generally favoring men, especially in rural areas. Women are typically educated to become good housewives, cooks, and educators for their children.

This distinction between men and women only reinforces gender-specific roles. Men exhibit traditionally masculine attributes, while women embody feminine qualities – quite the opposite of what I observed in Europe where masculine and feminine forces are more balanced between the two genders.
It’s important to recognize that associating men with masculine energy and women with feminine energy isn’t as obvious as it appears. These traits are not inherently tied to one’s gender but are shaped by cultural expectations and social conditioning, which can vary greatly across different societies.

In India, the feminine power is more distinctly present in women, deeply rooted in the cultural norms that often align them with nurturing and preserving qualities.
This is how, in India, I came to recognize the feminine power in women.

I recall my first meeting in the tribal village of Khumardi in Jharkhand. Around 50 villagers, both men and women, attended. We were not a large NGO with substantial funds, so the discussion focused on understanding the villagers’ current challenges and exploring how we could work together to envision a brighter future based on their traditional lifestyle and forest regeneration.
By the second meeting, only women attended, a pattern that repeated in the 24 villages we worked in. This taught me that caring for the future, for the resources, and understanding the intimate connection between the wellbeing of a community and the nature in which they live, is a typically feminine attribute.

Comme conservationist working in rural India, I came to believe in women as the key to le développement durable because they embody this feminine energy more than men for the reasons I’ve mentioned.

When I moved to Himachal Pradesh to start Himalayan Ecotourism, I was eager to work with local women. However, tourism and trekking were traditionally male-dominated fields. Nevertheless, I needed to sustain my business, so I started working with the men, while seeking alternative ways to impliquer les femmes in my enterprise.

The society in remote Himachali villages is extremely conservative. Women handle most of the household work, making it difficult to engage them in other roles. Moreover, mechanisms within their communities keep them in low social status. Similar social processes exist with the caste system. Those with privileged positions – men and higher caste members – resist any changes that could threaten their status, perpetuating conservatism.

It wasn’t surprising to witness the intense degradation of ecosystems in the Tirthan Valley, where I live. Elders explained that three-fourths of the forests had vanished since their childhood.
Wherever women have a low social status, environmental degradation is prevalent.

This is why I have prioritized women’s empowerment. To work towards sustainable development, one must focus on empowering women, especially in this part of the Himalayas. After years of persistent effort, in 2024, Himalayan Ecotourism successfully identified, trained, and empowered 10 women as trekking guides for the Great Himalayan National Park. This achievement is unique and marks the first time ever that women have been given such roles in the region, breaking new ground in a field traditionally reserved for men.

This success was due to several factors. Himalayan Ecotourism has earned a strong reputation among the locals in Tirthan Valley for our work as a social enterprise. When our team approached these women, trust was already established, leading to a positive response. Additionally, most of the women came from low-caste backgrounds, making them more progressive. Low-caste families often embrace changes that challenge the existing social hierarchy. Therefore, the families of these women were more supportive, as they understand that breaking the caste system may involve embracing other progressive ideas.
Elevating women’s social status is an idea that is simply better accepted in low-caste families.

The results have been remarkable. After leading their first treks with female clients, these women radiated powerful energy and immense joy. As they arrive at the Himalayan Ecotourism office in the morning for a trek, they transform from low-caste, low-status women into superheroes of women’s empowerment and leaders in conservation.

The first thing they do is change from traditional village attire into trousers and Himalayan Ecotourism T-shirts, proudly donning our badges that declare, “I am a defender of Himalayan forests”. Once everything is ready, they head to the trek departure point, carrying posters for our forest fire prevention campaign, which they place at strategic spots along the way.
They meet and greet the clients and embark on the trek, for them a journey toward empowerment and a better future for their society.

You can watch them on a trek in this wonderful video by Shivya Nath :