Introduction

Wetlands represent critical ecosystems providing water purification, flood regulation, and biodiversity support across Africa, yet their conservation remains inextricably linked to gender dynamics. Women, who manage 70-80% of household water needs and collect wetland resources like fish, reeds, and medicinal plants, serve as primary stewards. Exclusion from decision-making undermines conservation while gender-inclusive approaches enhance ecological resilience and equity.

Current Situation in Africa and Cameroon

Africa’s wetlands, spanning Ramsar sites from Lake Chad to the Okavango Delta, face degradation from climate change, overexploitation, and conflict. Women constitute 75% of direct beneficiaries in Lake Chad Basin restoration projects across Cameroon, Chad, and Niger, where initiatives restore 10,000 hectares while promoting resilient agriculture. In Cameroon, women around Kribi mangroves and the Dja Biosphere Reserve negotiate access rights for moabi oil and njangsang with logging companies, securing tenure for Baka indigenous communities. Cameroon Gender and Environment Watch (CAMGEW), established in 2007, and also Hope Environment Cameroon (HEC) initiatives started in 2020 demonstrates how women’s cooperatives sustain mangrove livelihoods while protecting biodiversity.​

Causes of Gender Disparities

Patriarchal customary laws systematically exclude women from formal land ownership and resource governance. In Cameroon, women hold less than 5% of land titles despite customary claims on 70% of wetlands (MINFOF, 2022). In Cameroon’s wetlands, women rely on informal access vulnerable to elite capture, while gender-differentiated harvesting practices women targeting juvenile plants accelerate overexploitation. Lake Chad Basin conflict displaces 2.7 million people, with women comprising 25% of the most vulnerable, facing acute resource scarcity. Climate variability compounds burdens as women adapt without technical training or financial access.​

Consequences

Wetland degradation first impacts women’s livelihoods: 75% of Lake Chad restoration participants depend on revived ecosystems for survival. Biodiversity loss threatens food security, triggering poverty cycles and migration. Around Cameroon’s Dja Reserve, women’s exclusion from co-management perpetuates braconnage and habitat fragmentation, endangering gorillas, elephants, and 360 bird species. Economic exclusion reinforces dependency on unsustainable practices, creating feedback loops of environmental decline and gender inequity.​

Solutions

Gender-transformative strategies prove most effective. Alinea’s Lake Chad project empowers women through “Gender-Based Model Family” dialogues, restoring ecosystems while challenging patriarchal norms. CAMGEW trains women in sustainable NTFP value chains near protected areas, generating income while conserving mangroves. Cecile Ndjebet’s Cameroon Ecology advocates integrating gender into REDD+ and Ramsar frameworks, securing women’s forest rights. Hope Environment Cameroon (HEC, 2020) implements participatory management through Village Savings and Credit Associations (AVEC), funding women-led seed banks while creating green entrepreneurship opportunities. Microgrants and co-management committees, as implemented by TF-RD around Dja and Campo Ma’an, distribute equitable benefits.

Conclusion

Gender equity constitutes the linchpin of effective wetlands conservation across Africa. Cameroon’s experiences from Lake Chad to Dja demonstrate that empowering women as primary stewards yields ecological restoration and social transformation. Policymakers must prioritize gender-responsive financing, tenure reforms, and capacity-building within Ramsar and national frameworks. Failure to integrate gender risks squandering wetlands’ potential as engines of sustainable development. Conservation succeeds when women lead.