Image credit: Hugo Van Lawick via Via National Geographic
Happy International Women’s Day from OneNature! As a female-led organization, we are thrilled to spend today praising and honoring all of the women that make this world go around. Last year, we highlighted influential women in conservation in honor of International Women’s Day. This year, we’re highlighting five women who play critical roles in nature conservation and climate action.
Women are a key demographic that often gets overlooked in decision-making. There are significant linkages between gender and climate degradation that must be addressed and rectified. The only way to break the cycle of violence and exclusion of women is by promoting and encouraging women from all walks of life. Women holding positions of leadership and power can lead to a push in initiatives that highlight and aim to rectify gender inequality in all forms.
Here are five influential and essential women in conservation that we would like to highlight today:
- Dr. Jane Goodall is a pioneer and visionary in wildlife conservation with a background in anthropology and primatology. She is known as the world’s expert on chimpanzees and the founder of the Jane Goodall Institute, an organization dedicated to the conservation of wildlife and nature. Goodall’s field discoveries and research can be deemed major and essential breakthroughs in the understanding of chimpanzees.
- Greta Thunberg is a household name in the conservation sector for good reason. Thunberg’s journey from sole climate activist to becoming a key leader and figurehead of the climate justice movement is both impressive and inspiring. The 20-year-old activist takes on climate summits and conferences to dialogue with and call out world leaders to take immediate action against climate change.
- Yifat Susskind, the executive director of Madre is a key player in the fight toward gender equity, climate justice, and sustainable peace. Madre is an organization dedicated to the safeguarding of human rights for all women on a global scale. Susskind is a strong activist who has encouraged and promoted thousands of women’s rights activists in countless countries around the world. Madre has allowed women all across the globe to rebuild, recover, and prevail after times of conflict and environmental degradation.
- Wangari Maathai died in 2011 but not without her incomparable contributions to conservation and well-being. In order to help Kenyans overcome poverty and put an end to violence, she established the Green Belt Movement in 1977 with the primary ambition of planting trees. She was driven by a perceived connection between environmental degradation and poverty and conflict. The linkages between environmental degradation, poverty, and conflict were driving forces that led her to found the organization. In 2004, Maathai won the Nobel Peace Prize Laureate for her contribution to sustainable development, democracy, and peace, making her the first African woman to win.
- Kamea Chayne is the host and producer of the Green Dreamer Podcast. Chayne practices the veneration of the Taiwanese land as well as her ancestors. She is a bold and influential speaker that takes on new thought leaders to discuss different issues and topics pertaining to conservation, environmentalism, and wellness. The Green Dreamer is not just a podcast, it’s a community-powered journal and collective that addresses and examines our interconnection to each other, animals, and nature.
OneNature is dedicated to the promotion and advancement of gender equity and equality and we applaud the aforementioned organizations and individuals for their continued efforts for the protection of nature, wildlife, and humans. International Women’s Day is a great chance to take a step back and thank the women in our lives for their contributions not only to us but to our society.