Climate change adaptation plan has been marred with assertion that genders are not treated equally both in designing and implementation which have been eventually the cog in the wheel of progress of many developmental programmes in forest-based communities such as REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation). This assertion has however not been “perceptionally” proven aside from the general vulnerability-gender relationships. This study used both quantitative and qualitative methods of data collection. Primary data was collected with the aid of questionnaire from 200 respondents (male and female category) randomly selected within six purposive UN-REDD+ piloted villages according to Cochran formula in South-South, Nigeria. Sixteen perceptional statements were developed with Likert scale rating along categorical variables such as participation, decision making, recognition and inclusion, forest resources management as well as village institution composition to assess and explain different factors militating against procedural component of climate justice (participation, decision making and level of engagement) at an individual level. The result of the research showed that the participation and decision making rate of women/female in the REDD+ in South-south Nigeria is weak, mostly only at the level of Tokenism, where over 97% were not aware of such project in the community, but the remaining 3% were privy to the information via their husbands where either their views or opinions have influenced policy. The female participation level about REDD + projects is low. This is due to cultural and socio-political societies that still retain traditional gender roles which only locate and position women/female for domestic affairs thus undermining their position and responsibilities in public places as attested to by Focus Group Discussion(FGD). Besides, discrimination by male leaders and their lack of self-esteem, and low levels of education weaken them from playing a role in their village community even in the implementation of the REDD+ project. This underscores the importance of proactive gender mainstreaming with all encompassing inclusiveness intervention rather than “ male versus female” or “men versus women” in order to address gender bias both in designing and implementation of adaptation action plan such as REDD+. This study has extended the “individual perceptional statements” of climate justice to create the most flexible approach in analysing the level of engagement of disaggregated “gender level” in REDD+ piloted site in South-south, Nigeria.
Vulnerability to climate change and variability impacts has been identified as a major cog in the wheel of both livelihood and resilience, particularly in vulnerable groups in rural areas. This study aims to assess genders’ vulnerability dimension to climate change and variability in REDD + (Reducing Emission from Deforestation and Forest Degradation+) piloted site/clusters, Cross River State, Nigeria. Data were proportionately collected from selected 200 respondents on gender disaggregated level using questionnaires. The assessment adopted the sustainable livelihood approach (livelihood vulnerability index) and compared the results with the IPCC vulnerability standard of exposure, sensitivity and adaptive capacity weighted mean. The results revealed a significant difference in the vulnerability dimension of both women and men disaggregated levels (LVI: men 0.509, women 0.618). The women category was more vulnerable to six out of seven major components of LVI assessed: (livelihood strategies (0.646), social networks (0.364), water (0.559), health (0.379), food and nutrition (0.507), and natural hazards and climate variability (0.482), while men only vulnerable to socio-demographic major component (0.346). Vulnerability indices also showed women to be more exposed (0.482), and sensitive (0.489) with the least adaptive capacities (0.462) to the climate change and variability impacts. Overall, on the IPCC-LVI index, women are more vulnerable (0.0098) to climate change and variability impacts than men (−0.0093). The study recommends that the women's category resilience and adaptive capacity should be empowered in adaptation projects in climate change such as REDD + (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation+) to reduce their vulnerability to impacts of climate change and variability in the context of exposure, sensitivity, and adaptive capacities. This will be instrumental in formulating policies to address the specific needs of gender categories in reducing vulnerability to climate change and variability. This pragmatic approach may be used to monitor gender vulnerability dimension, and livelihood enhancement and evaluate potential climate change adaptation programs. Additionally, the introduction of IPCC-LVI as a baseline instrument will enhance information on gender resilience and adaptive capacity for policy effectiveness in a data-scarce region particularly Africa.
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