| dc.description.abstract | Women play crucial roles in the protection of wildlife and the management of wildlife crime. This study was undertaken to assess women’s participation in combating wildlife crime, using a case of Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) in Western Uganda. Specifically, the study sought to: examine how women participate in combating wildlife crime through intelligence, investigations, and law enforcement; assess the benefits of women’s participation in combating wildlife crime; and examine the barriers to women’s participation in combating wildlife crime. The study was anchored on two theories: ecofeminism which for example posits that women hold the potential for different ways of seeing and relating which offer unique insights into interactions between humans and the natural world, and feminist political ecology, which argues that there is a connection between women and nature based on a history of oppression and patriarchal institutions, and that individuals experience of the environment is gendered in terms of responsibilities they hold. The Collaborative Resource Management framework (CRM) was also used. The study employed a case study design, in which only qualitative methods such as key informant interviews (KIIs), in-depth interviews, and focus group discussions (FGDs) were used in collecting data from in and around QENP. Up to 13 KIIs, five gender-segmented FGDs, and three in-depth interviews were conducted. The findings reveal that poaching, cutting timber, illegal fishing, illegal entry, and trafficking were the predominant wildlife crimes mostly perpetrated by men. Women, either as local community members or rangers participate in combating wildlife crime through gathering critical intelligence information using their interpersonal skills and through their access to park resources and networks, as well as monitoring of illegal activities. Women also play an active role in apprehending wildlife crime offenders through arrests and picking samples for forensic analysis which are critical for wildlife crime investigation. Women also serve as vital eyewitnesses, providing critical information to the Uganda Wildlife Authority and other wildlife law enforcement agencies such as the Police all of which contribute to the identification and arrest of individuals engaged in illegal activities in QENP. Generally, women are much less represented in the governance of wildlife crime, particularly in management across the three pillars in QENP and in local councils. Women’s involvement in combating wildlife crime has brought many benefits, including opening up opportunities for them such as employment, increased vigilance and surveillance against wildlife crime, community responsibility and trust in combating wildlife crime, and provision of essential information for conservation or wildlife crime intelligence, among others. The barriers women face are personal, spousal control, the triple role burden, gender stereotypes, and others are logistical. This study demonstrates that the involvement of women in combating wildlife crimes brings with it numerous and unique advantages and opportunities across the three pillars of intelligence, investigations, and law enforcement and that women are vital in the fight against wildlife crime. Recognizing the unique contributions of women by frontline communities and stakeholders, addressing challenges they face, and implementing gender-sensitive and inclusive strategies are essential in combating wildlife crime in QENP and other conservation areas in Uganda. | en_US |
