Women, Livelihoods, and Conservation: Rethinking What Drives Impact
Some of the most effective conservation efforts today do not look like traditional wildlife protection. They look like economic inclusion, gender equity, and community development. When women are employed, supported, and given real opportunities to lead, the results extend far beyond livelihoods, they can lead to measurable gains in biodiversity, reduced poaching, and stronger, more resilient communities.
This discussion explores the idea that conservation outcomes are often the result of investing in people, especially women and girls, not just protecting nature. How do community health, economic opportunity, and gender equity act as multipliers for conservation success? What are the pathways through which these impacts reinforce each other, and how can they be measured?
Drawing on experiences from community-led conservation initiatives, particularly in Africa, this session will also examine how climate action can become an economic opportunity for women-led enterprises, and how funding and policy frameworks can better support this integrated approach. Together, participants will explore what it takes to design conservation models that are not only effective, but also just, inclusive, and scalable.
Speakers
Dory Gannes is Senior Director of Development at Akashinga, advancing women-led, community-centred conservation in Southern Africa.
Harriet Gordon-Brown is Chief Executive of CHASE Africa, leading integrated programmes across health, environment, and gender in East Africa.
Indrajit Chaudhuri is CEO and Country Director at PCI India, leading large-scale community development programmes.
Jessica Pavlos is Head of Development at the Margaret Pyke Trust, advancing integrated health, climate, and conservation programmes.
Kalie Weninger is Trusts and Foundations Manager at Womankind Worldwide.
Discussion Questions
How do investments in women’s economic empowerment and community wellbeing translate into stronger conservation outcomes?
What are the key pathways that link gender equity, livelihoods, and biodiversity, and how can we measure them?
What does it take to design and fund conservation models that center women and community leadership?
How can climate and biodiversity frameworks better recognize and support women as leaders in conservation and resilience?