BY MFANUFIKILE KHATHWANE
MBABANE – Game rangers and conservation practitioners across Eswatini are strengthening their ability to protect the country’s rich biodiversity by embracing a more inclusive and gender-responsive approach to conservation.
Inclusive conservation continued to gain momentum in Eswatini’s protected areas. On 9 to 12 February 2026, capacity-building workshops were held at Malolotja National Park and Magadzavane Lodge, bringing together game rangers, park wardens, education and outreach officers, and human resources personnel.
The training was facilitated by the Eswatini National Trust Commission (ENTC) under the Accelerating Systematic Change for Gender Equality and Biodiversity Conservation Project.
The initiative supports the gender-responsive updating of Eswatini’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) and the country’s Seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
During the workshops, participants explored how gender roles, family dynamics, and social structures influence conservation effectiveness—particularly in frontline operations, law enforcement, and community engagement. Practical sessions focused on integrating gender considerations into daily conservation work, ensuring that both women and men are meaningfully involved in decision-making and implementation.
The training is expected to deliver tangible outcomes, including improved understanding of gender equality and family issues among conservation staff, enhanced skills for gender-responsive planning and outreach, and stronger technical contributions to national biodiversity planning and reporting. Importantly, the programme aims to encourage balanced participation and leadership across conservation institutions, strengthening collaboration with communities living alongside protected areas.
Gender equality is recognised by the CBD as a cross-cutting priority, with inclusive participation seen as essential to effective and sustainable conservation. By equipping frontline rangers with the tools to understand the social dimensions of their work, Eswatini is reinforcing a people-centred approach to conservation—one that benefits both communities and ecosystems, today and into the future.
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