Gender dimension towards Right over Traditional Knowledge by Adivasi women of Melghat Tiger Reserve, India

Abstract

- It is being increasingly realized that women play an important role in biodiversity management and therefore, any discussion on protection of biodiversity and the associated traditional knowledge mandates a focus on the issue from the perspective of gender. At the very outset, it is important to go into the nature of women’s relationship with the environment and whether it is distinct from men’s. Women are seen as closer to nature than men and according to some theorists, the connection between women and nature is clearly rooted in the biological processes of reproduction. Women are the keystone to this biodiversity management. Even though women have a high workload but they have successfully protect preserved and passed from generation to generation traditional knowledge. Yet, as a result of numerous reasons, this whole traditional knowledge information continues to be jeopardized over the past couple of decades. Any manner, women's job as carriers and the preservers of this knowledge hasn't been sufficiently recognized up till now. The article is based on research carried out in Melghat Tiger Reserve. It studies the practices carried by adivasi women using traditional knowledge for fishery methods, medicinal plants, and vegetation from forest. The research also aims to present, form the gender perspective on right over traditional knowledge by the underdeveloped and backward adivasi women Melghat Tiger Reserve, Maharashtra. The researcher tries to analyse the legal mechanism for the protection of Traditional Knowledge in India.