Beyond inclusion: Empowering women and girls for smarter, fairer Nature-based Solutions for climate change

The world is facing a dramatic climate crisis, with its impacts disproportionately affecting those who are already in positions of extreme vulnerability. Women and girls in low- and middle-income countries are at the forefront of this crisis – not because they are inherently more affected but because social and economic structures shape their vulnerability.

Informed by both research and our emerging experience, Plan International Australia has developed a set of guiding principles for gender-transformative Nature-based Solutions (NbS). These principles go beyond simply including women in climate initiatives; they address structural inequalities that limit their participation and work towards shifting power dynamics to ensure that women and girls can fully engage in and benefit from adaptation efforts. Without deliberate efforts to integrate gender equity into NbS programming, climate solutions risk reinforcing existing disparities rather than challenging them.

This document provides a clear justification and evidence base for gender-transformative NbS, drawing from extensive research on women’s roles in conservation and climate resilience, and highlights the need for greater research focused on girls and youth in NbS work. It outlines why gender must be central to NbS design, implementation, and governance, demonstrating that interventions that fail to account for gender are less effective, less sustainable, and less equitable.