In-Forest team members have contributed to Tropical Forest Issues 63 focusing on Women as Stewards of Forests. Featuring findings from a scientific analysis published in Forest Policy and Economics, the article highlights how African women experience gendered struggles in doing forest governance research. 

Featuring 26 articles that deal with the indispensable role of women in shaping forested landscapes, Tropical Forest Issues 63 addresses four guiding questions: What gendered barriers do women face in forest landscapes? What initiatives enable their participation? What are the impacts when women are meaningfully engaged? And what enabling conditions are needed to support their leadership? Through research-based articles and practical stories, the edition showcases diverse experiences across Latin America, Africa, Asia and the Pacific.  

As part of the theme ‘Meaningful participation of women‘, the In-Forest feature article shifts the spotlight on gendered struggles experienced by African women in forest governance research. It draws on 20 interviews with male and female scholars affiliated with research organizations in different African countries conducted as part of the In-Forest project. Based on the results of the scientific analysis published earlier, it shows how women face specific challenges in fulfilling expectations resulting from their multiple roles as wives, mothers and scientists, particularly in societies shaped by patriarchal norms. The article highlights not only the struggles, but also the great efforts that women make to meaningfully participate in knowledge production on the sustainable management of forests.


Full reference of feature article:
Tetley, C., Sunagawa, S., Uisso, A.J., Koch, S. (2025). Gendered struggles in forest governance research: The experiences of African women scholars. Tropical Forest Issues 63, 68–74. Tropenbos International, Ede, the Netherlands.  doi.org/10.55515/AMBT7888

Editorial of Tropical Forest Issues 63, Women as Stewards of Forests:
Rogelja, T., & Kroese, L. (Eds.). (2025). Tropical Forest Issues 63: Women as Stewards of Forests. Tropenbos International, 63, 198. doi.org/10.55515/HAFS9510 

Full reference of original scientific analysis:
Strelnyk, O., Koch, S., Tetley, C., Sunagawa, S., & Uisso, A. J. (2024). Science as a field of struggle: Gendered experiences of African scholars doing forest governance research. Forest Policy and Economics, 169, 103339. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.forpol.2024.103339