Globally, women are disproportionately impacted by climate change and biodiversity loss, yet their voices are often excluded from environmental policy-making. Diversifying conservation leadership to include female and indigenous knowledge is crucial. This event brings together pioneering women from African conservation and nature storytelling to discuss the importance of shifting the narrative, challenging patriarchal and colonial legacies by championing community engagement and diverse perspectives.
Host Jacqueline Farmer, Director of Nature Through Her Eyes, is joined by four guests working to transform African conservation: Dr. Juliet Karisa, a Kenyan marine scientist working with coastal communities to conserve and restore marine ecosystems; Gabonese filmmaker Kristina Obame whose work explores the intersection between nature, conservation, and African cultures, highlighting ancestral and cultural relationships with land and environment; CEO of Wildlife Direct, Dr. Paula Kahumbu, who works with new generations of nature defenders across Africa, using film, television, and school programs to influence public opinion and and policy; and Erica Rugabandana, Tanzania’s first female natural history cinematographer and director of the celebrated film Kuishi na Simba.
Together, they explore the vital importance of the female gaze and the impact of amplifying women’s voices and perspectives to transform conservation storytelling.
