|
‘nature’ is female... |
 |
|
Ana Lorena Gudiño Valdez |
|
Nature – the very essence of all the entities that make up the universe – has created, managed, distributed and even regenerated all the ecosystems in the biosphere. It guides the adaptation of species when these are subjected to natural environmental change and even when they suffer serious damage through artificial change resulting from human exploitation.
During this evolutionary process, the world has witnessed countless numbers of peoples, tribes, ethnic groups, cultures and empires. Some were governed by matriarchies, with groups of women in many communities assuming enormous responsibilities – taking charge of seeing to their people’s survival, finding ways of providing them with food and drink, helping them to grow and develop, caring for the sick and coping when faced with epidemics: women, in short, who have taken on the responsibility of guiding people’s development, whatever the costs.
There is much talk about the interaction between ‘man’ and ‘nature’, evidently referring to the relationship between humanity and the environment; but it is important to make a distinction regarding the fundamental role played by women – the use, management, exploitation, administration and, of course, the care, of natural resources.
Visualize a woman with a small daughter, walking in the sunshine, carrying two heavy containers, with an anxious expression on her face. The girl – already a woman destined for work – is starting to copy her mother’s tasks. When they get home they will have to ration the precious liquid to satisfy the needs of all the household. I close my eyes and see a woman harvesting, another serving up food she has been preparing, and another caring for the sick. I open my eyes, I see my country (no need to look further for the realities are similar on every continent, especially where poverty, epidemics and hunger are part of everyday life). There are the women, caring for their families’ health, worrying about how to provide sufficient food and well aware of the difficulties in providing it. This is where education must begin to give real value to each of the things we use or consume.
It is time to recognize the real value of women’s participation in environmental matters and in implementing sustainable development. But – and let’s not forget it – this is a responsibility that must be shared and assumed equally by women and men alike
Ana Lorena Gudiño Valdez is a graduate in biology from the National Autonomous University of Mexico, National Coordinator for Rescue Mission Planet Earth, and a member of the Youth Environmental Network of Mexico. PHOTOGRAPH: O. Minera/UNEP/Topham |
|
Contents | Editorial K. Toepfer | Miles to go before we relax | Practical consensus | Power shift | Equally effective | People | Peace of mind, piece of land | The young ones | Fuelling change | At a glance: Women, health and the environment | Aishwarya Rai | Unprecedented opportunity | Books and products | Chemical inheritance | Toxic trespass | First empower | Citizen engagement | Adding feminine perspective | After all ‘nature’ is female... | A unique voice |
