Abstract
Equitable distribution of the costs and benefits associated with conservation is a key issue in natural resource management. Addressing the underlying social, economic and cultural factors shaping social differentiation within and among communities will help reverse social inequities and will also promote more sustainable conservation. This book tries to respond to the need of project managers to understand how gender, poverty and ethnicity relate to each other and how they affect results of conservation projects. It offers guidance and practical tools to respond, in an integrated way, to the different issues related to gender, poverty alleviation and indigenous peoples – key aspects of addressing equity in conservation. It encourages conservation practitioners to use social and gender analysis as a methodology for promoting equitable sharing of the costs and benefits of natural resource management. While it focuses on the design phase of a project, it acknowledges that a similar approach is needed all along the project cycle.