A series of training sessions under the 'Mainstreaming Sustainable Land Management (SLM) & Biodiversity Conservation' project was organised by UNDP, in collaboration with the Forestry Services, the project’s implementing partner. The first session was held on 10^th December, focused on Gender and Safeguards, followed by a two-day training from 11 to 12 December on Land Degradation Neutrality. The workshops were attended by representatives of various Ministries, District Councils, NGOs and the Private Sector.

The Sustainable Land Management Project is funded by the Global Environment Facility (GEF), and implemented by the Ministry of Agro-Industry, Food Security, Blue Economy and Fisheries, through the Forestry Service, in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It aims to address issues of land degradation by scaling up the adoption of sustainable land management in production landscapes in Mauritius and Rodrigues. The expected outcomes include a strengthened policy and institutional framework; the development of skills, tools and incentives to pilot and implement SLM practices; and improving knowledge management and gender mainstreaming.

Mainstreaming Gender Perspectives & Safeguards in SLM 

The first session, a 1 Day capacity building workshop, focused on Gender & Safeguards mainstreaming.  It was aimed at enhancing theparticipants capacity to integrate gender perspectives into policies, programmes and projects.  The topics covered included gender concepts, identification of gender inequalities in the field and building gender analysis skills. Stakeholders also engaged in various group discussions to identify gender norms, roles and stereotypes in land accessibility and management, focusing on the Mauritian Context. They explored the role of women in agriculture, their limited access to land ownership and the gendered responses to land disputes, amongst others. 

The consultant also delivered a Safeguard Mainstreaming training, to ensure that environmental and social safeguards are integrated into all stages of project planning and implementation.  The training focused on several key objectives which included enhancing the skills and knowledge of stakeholders  on different types of safeguards, including how to mitigate negative environmental impacts (environmental); promoting the safety, dignity, and rights of all individuals, ensuring that project interventions do not cause harm (social); ensuring respect for local customs and indigenous rights (cultural); and safeguards against adverse economic impacts on communities (economic). Discussions also included safeguard policies including risk identification and assessment and mitigation strategies.