Everyone has the Power to Act
La Sierra es Mujer: The women of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta organize second annual Entrepreneurship Fair
In celebration of International Women’s Rights Day, Women for Conservation held our second annual Entrepreneurship Fair “La Sierra es Mujer” on March 5, in the village of Vista Nieves in the municipality of Minca, Santa Marta, in the department of Magdalena. This second annual fair was attended by more than 100 rural women and entrepreneurs […]
Updates from Madagascar: Uplifting Communities, Preserving Baobab Trees
Thanks to donors like you, Women for Conservation reached our fundraising goal of $3,600 to employ 6 female forest rangers and establish a permanent tree nursery in Madagascar! Women for Conservation’s global partnership is supporting Fanamby’s incredible work preserving 800-year-old Baobab Trees and reforesting degraded land. Baobab Alley, declared a “National Monument” by the IUCN […]
Post-Growth Australia Podcast: Interview with Isabella Cortes Lara
Listen to podcast on the PGAP website: https://pgap.fireside.fm/w4c We are excited to announce that W4C Vice President, Isabella Cortes Lara, sat down with Post-Growth Australia for a podcast episode about her experiences facilitating access to family planning resources and conservation training to women in rural Colombia. In this podcast, Isabella highlights her personal experience organizing […]
New Partnership– Population Connection’s Global Partners Program
About Population Connection’s Global Partners Program: We are thrilled to be a partner of Population Connection’s Global Partners program. Population Connection has supported smaller global partner organizations since 2016. They focus on funding local and community-based organizations that include programming related to sustainable global population growth. In Population Connections’ words, they “support a growing number […]
Achieving Regional Park Status: Community Organizing Protects Las Tangaras Wildlife
We are excited to announce that Las Tangaras ProAves Reserve will be officially recognized as a Colombian Regional Park! In addition to this new government-protected status, the reserve will also expand its area by 3,500 hectares (8,649 acres). This new federal status will make Las Tangaras Reserve part of the National System of Protected […]
Almaguer, Cauca: Women for Conservation Launches New Project Site in the Colombian Highlands
Women for Conservation has expanded our programs to a new location, in the municipality of Almaguer, Cauca in the Colombian highlands. This is an area of incredible biodiversity, as well as the site of the most important aquifer table in Colombia. W4C has already begun working in the municipality to facilitate voluntary access to family […]
An Act of Love for Women and the Environment: 14 More Men Join the Family Planning Movement
World Vasectomy Day 2022: Vasectomies are a commitment by men to conserve the planet and to share the responsibility of family planning with their partners. On December 13th, Women for Conservation, in collaboration with ProAves and Profamilia, completed their third vasectomy campaign with 14 participants from the municipality of El Carmen de Atrato in […]
Daughters for Earth Funds W4C’s Amazon Rainforest Research Station
We are thrilled to announce that Women for Conservation has been chosen as a grant recipient by Daughters for Earth! This new partnership will empower us to move forward with the next steps of our Women-led Amazon Rainforest Research station along the Guaviare River. Click here to visit our project page on […]
Fighting Climate Change Through Community Empowerment
Women for Conservation has always strived to create a lasting impact—not just on the lives of women, but also on the health of our planet. As the climate crisis worsens, we are stepping up our efforts to protect and preserve the world’s most extraordinary habitats. We believe in the power of grassroots, community-led […]
Empowering 6 Women Forest Rangers & Baobab Reforestation in Madagascar
Project Cost: $3,600 Project Overview: Women for Conservation is excited to announce our first women-led conservation partnership with Fanamby Organization in Madagascar! We are seeking to raise $3,600 to fully fund this project to support women as conservation leaders, who help to protect and reforest degraded land for the benefit of both wildlife […]
Women for Conservation chosen for IUCN Membership
We are incredibly proud to announce that Women for Conservation has been chosen as an official member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)! The IUCN is the world’s oldest and largest environmental network, uniting more than 1,400 government and non-governmental organizations and more than 18,000 experts in over 170 countries. […]
Celebrating World Vasectomy Day
Celebrating World Vasectomy Day Earlier this week, global population hit 8 billion. Human population growth is projected to continue growing exponentially over the coming decades – threatening the existence of earth’s incredible ecosystems and the hundreds of thousands of species with whom we share the planet. The fist step to curbing unsustainable […]
In the News: Women for Conservation Serves Over 1,300 Women Caring for Nature Reserves
Women for Conservation Serves Over 1,300 Women Caring for Nature Reserves This article was originally published September 5th, 2022 in Spanish by the Colombian news Outlet Semana. To see the original version of this article in Spanish, click here >>> Women for Conservation empowers women and children to lead eco-friendly projects to protect critical […]
Mapiripan, Amazonia: 72 More Women Empowered with Reproductive Healthcare
Women for Conservation is celebrating our first family planning brigade success in the Amazon Rainforest! From March 15th – 17th, 2022, Women for Conservation partnered with Profamilia to provide seventy-two women with family planning medical procedures in the municipality of Mapiripán, in the Amazon Rainforest. Women for Conservation and Profamilia have been collaborating with the […]
Saving the Critically Endangered Blue-billed Curassow through Community Awareness Programs
Women for Conservation and ProAves have worked since 2004 to protect the Critically Endangered Blue-billed Curassow and its unique habitat by raising awareness and empowering local women’s groups to save this spectacular species. Location: Magdalena Valley, Colombia Key Species: Blue-billed Curassow (CR), Magdalena Spider Monkey (CR), Magdalena Lowland Tapir (VU), Spectacled Bear (VU), Jaguar (NT) […]
Sara Inés Lara Featured on Brevard Zoo’s ‘Paws for a Moment’ Podcast
We are thrilled to announce our latest podcast interview! Women for Conservation’s executive director, Sara Inés Lara, discussed the organization’s conservation efforts through female empowerment on Brevard Zoo’s podcast, Paws for a Moment. Listen on Spotify >>> Listen on Apple Podcasts >>> After leaving Colombia to pursue a civil engineering career in England, […]
Celebrating Conservation Project Coordinator Kelly Julio Donado
Celebrating Conservation Project Coordinator Kelly Julio Donado Happy Birthday to Kelly Julio Donado, our Women for Conservation Project Coordinator in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta! Kelly is the force who organizes and facilitates Women for Conservation’s community groups in multiple villages across the municipality of Santa Marta. We are committed to listening […]
Educational Safari Inspires 5th graders in Nepal
Educational Safari Inspires 5th graders in Nepal September 20, 2022 Women for Conservation and Birds Nepal understand that the education and engagement of the next generation is absolutely essential to our dream of protecting biodiversity for generations to come. We work to inspire the next generation of conservationists by providing hands-on environmental education and meaningful wildlife […]
Cross-cultural solidarity: In support of Pussy Riot’s Maria Alyokhina, fierce defender of women’s rights
The feminist band Pussy Riot’s brave activism and performance art has inspired women all over the world to use their voices to stand up to oppression. Even after a two-year prison sentence, band co-founder Maria Alyokhina continued to speak out against injustice. W4C Director of Conservation, Isabella Cortes Lara, reflects upon meeting the incredible Maria […]
Birds Nepal & Women for Conservation Celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day
Birds Nepal & Women for Conservation Celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day The first Saturday in September each year is International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD). Of nine species of Vultures found in Nepal, eight of these are globally Threatened and three species are categorized as Critically Endangered in IUCN Red list. IVAD originated from Vulture Awareness […]
Expanding Access to Vasectomies for 60 Men
Project Overview: While our family planning efforts are usually focused on providing women and girls with access to contraception, we have recently received significant interest from men in Carmen de Atrato who wish to receive vasectomies. Our first ever vasectomy campaign took place in February 2022, when we provided access to vasectomies to 5 men. […]
Flash Flood Relief: Help Us Support the People of Puerto Pinzón
Flash Flood Relief: Help Us Support the People of Puerto Pinzón Boyacá, Colombia June 8th Devastating floods forced the community of Puerto Pinzón to evacuate their homes as the Ermitaño River flooded their town last week. National media reports that 700 families in Puerto Pinzón have been affected, and many inhabitants have lost […]
24 More Men Get Vasectomies as an Act of Love for Women and the Environment
W4C’s Latest Vasectomy Campaign Shatters Stigmas to Set New Records September 2, 2022 Women for Conservation’s latest family planning brigade on September 2nd provided 24 men with vasectomies in the rural community of Carmen de Atrato. Families in this remote town lack access to adequate health clinics, and must travel 4 hours by bus […]
Minca W4C Groups Attend Conference on Gender Violence Prevention with Santa Marta Mayor’s Office
26 August, 2022 Women from the towns surrounding Minca, including La Tagua, Tigrera, and Vista Nieves, gathered for an educational day to raise awareness about gender violence. The event was organized by multiple government bodies, including the Mayor’s Office of Santa Marta, the Attorney General’s Office, the Metropolitan Police, and the Colombian Institute of Family […]
El Dorado Successes: Updates from the Field
El Dorado Successes: Updates from the Field July 2022 The megadiverse ProAves El Dorado Reserve is located in the incredible Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta which is considered “Most Irreplaceable Site on Earth” by the journal Science. Women for Conservation supports the reserve by engaging local communities in workshops and campaigns which mutually benefit biodiversity […]
W4C Announces Plan for New Amazon Rainforest Research Station
Project Overview: Women for Conservation is excited to announce our development plans for a biological research and conservation station in the Colombian Amazon! The Research station will be located in the ProAves El Jaguar Natural Reserve, a site of extraordinary biodiversity in Colombia’s Orinoco River basin. This project will prevent poaching by allowing increased monitoring […]
Celebrating Our Partnership with Birds Nepal: Journey to Chitwan and Bardyia National Parks
After two years of running programs in Nepal, the Women for Conservation leadership team was finally able to visit and see our projects in person. This April, WFC Founder & Executive Director, Sara Inés Lara, along with Co-founder & Director of Conservation, Isabella Cortes, spent three weeks visiting Women for Conservation’s Nepal projects with Birds […]
Breaking barriers and stigmas, 26 women join the conservation movement through family planning
Breaking barriers and stigmas, 26 women join the conservation movement through family planning July 20, 2022 Thanks to your support, 26 more women have been provided with family planning procedures in the mega-diverse Chocó Rainforest region! Women for Conservation organized the logistics for these women to travel 5 hours from rural Carmen De Atrato to […]
Women for Conservation begins training new female forest guards
May 15, 2022 Women for Conservation is excited to announce the addition of two new women to our forest Guard training program! These women have been involved with Women for Conservation’s community group in the village of Puerto Pinzón, Puerto Boyacá, Boyacá which has been active since 2013. “I believe this is a special opportunity […]
Record Breaking Campaign Empowers 93 Families with Family Planning
Record Breaking Campaign Empowers 93 Families with Family Planning Procedures in Single Day February 22, 2022 Women for Conservation is celebrating a new record, with 93 family planning procedures delivered in two Colombian communities within a single day. In the first two months of 2022 we have already delivered more family planning procedures than […]
63 Women Provided With Family Planning Procedures in Chocó Rainforest Region
63 Women Provided With Family Planning Procedures in Chocó Rainforest Region Women for Conservation is celebrating another family planning brigade success! From January 26-28th, 2022, Women for Conservation and Profamilia were able to provide a total of 63 women with family planning medical procedures in the rural municipality of Carmen de Atrato, in the Chocó […]
Celebrating Our New Partnership with Brevard Zoo
Celebrating Our New Partnership with Brevard Zoo Women for Conservation is absolutely honored to have been chosen as an ongoing partner of Melbourne Florida’s Brevard Zoo. April 8, 2022 In only the first quarter of 2022, we have already blown past previous annual impact records, demonstrating the rapid growth of our programs in the field. […]
Guest Report: Conservation through Education and Family Planning
Conservation through Education and Family Planning: Population Matters’ Guest Report 1 APRIL 2022 Between July 2021 and February 2022, Empower to Plan supported Women for Conservation in the provision of environmental education workshops and family planning clinics in biodiversity hotspots of Colombia. Our Empower to Plan Project Coordinator, Catriona Spaven-Donn, visited Women for Conservation over […]
Sara Inés Lara featured as Female Hero of Bird Conservation
Sara Inés Lara featured as Female Hero of Bird Conservation January 25, 2022 We are proud to announce that Women for Conservation’s founder and President, Sara Inés Lara, has been honored with a chapter in the new book Female Heroes of Bird Conservation by Rosemary Low. The book shines a spotlight on over 30 female […]
Progress Update from our Partnership in Nepal
Progress Update from our Partnership in Nepal November 21, 2021 Since 2020, Women for Conservation has been partnering with Birds Nepal in a three-pronged conservation initiative centering around promoting family planning education, environmental education, and ecotourism. This project focuses on providing resources to people in rural areas suffering from high illiteracy and poverty rates, and […]
Sara Inés Lara Recognized as One of 100 Great Latin American Women
Sara Inés Lara Recognized as One of 100 Great Latin American Women November 2019 Colombian conservationist Sara Inés Lara was recognized by the oldest children’s magazine in Latin America, Billiken, in a special publication that celebrates the magazine’s centennial and honors women of the continent. Presented on November 21, 2019, before the Honorable […]
Empowering Women’s Culinary Microbusinesses
Empowering Women’s Culinary Microbusinesses Women for Conservation’s latest sustainable livelihoods success has been empowering women owned microbusinesses in El Dorado. December 29, 2021 Women for Conservation seeks to promote women’s economic empowerment in ways that mutually benefit rural communities and biodiversity conservation. Earlier this month, we celebrated the graduation of 15 women from our new […]
Pauxi Pauxi Reserve Expansion Saves Rainforest from Destruction
We did it! We Saved Pauxi Pauxi Rainforest from Destruction We are thrilled to announce that we have raised the funds to protect a unique Magdalena Rainforest habitat from destruction! Along with our partner organization ProAves Colombia, we were able to acquire 183 acres of strategic land, which will block a proposed road from cutting […]
Ninfa Honored with IUCN International Ranger Award
Ninfa Honored with IUCN International Ranger Award June 2021 With great pride we congratulate Ninfa Carianil Damaso, first female forest ranger of Fundación ProAves for being one of the winners of the important International Park Rangers Award of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA). This […]
Sara Inés Lara recognized at L’Oréal-UNESCO’s “For Women in Science” festival
Sara Inés Lara recognized at L’Oréal-UNESCO’s “For Women in Science” festival December 10, 2021 With the conviction that the world needs science and science needs women, the L’Oréal Foundation and UNESCO held the first edition of the #ForWomenInScience festival, where they invited 40 brilliant female researchers from different parts of the world, including our executive […]
Women for Conservation Sponsors First Female Ranger
Women for Conservation Sponsors First Female Ranger May 2020 Ninfa Estella Carianil now serves as the first female ranger for Fundación ProAves. Women for Conservation supports her in this groundbreaking role. Ninfa’s life changed abruptly with the loss of her son, and then later her husband, José Rufino Mora, in April 2020. Their family […]