With International Women’s Day taking place on 8th March, Amy May Holt considers how these women have not only shaped our understanding of the environment but have also left an enduring impact on the way we engage with and preserve the natural world.
Top 10 female conservationists
Jane Goodall
Who is Jane Goodall?
Jane Goodall is a British primatologist and conservationist
What is Jane Goodall famous for?
She is renowned for her groundbreaking discoveries that redefined the relationship between humans and animals. Despite having no university degree when she started (she went on to earn a PhD in animal behaviour), no formal scientific training, and at a time when primatology was almost entirely a male-dominated field, Jane opened the doors for women in science.
Jane Goodall and chimpanzees
In 1960, Jane arrived in Gombe Stream National Park in Tanzania where she discovered chimpanzees make and use tools. Jane observed the chimpanzees using blades of grass or twigs to ‘fish’ for termites. Before this, scientists believed that humans were the only species able to make and use tools.
Jane has often been criticised for her unorthodox approach to field research. Instead of observing the chimpanzees from a distance, she immersed herself in their habitat. Here, she witnessed other humanlike behaviours, such as hugging, and personalities in the chimpanzees. Jane spent many decades discovering the unique characters of each chimpanzee, and she even gave each chimp at Gombe a name.
Chimpanzee Jane Goodall Institute
In 1977, she founded the Jane Goodall Institute, which continues the Gombe research to this day, making it the longest running wild chimpanzee study in the world.
In 1991, she created the global Roots and Shoots programme, which inspires tens of thousands of young people from around the world to make a difference in their local community by turning their ideas into conservation actions.
Now, Jane travels internationally raising awareness about chimpanzees and inspiring millions with her message of hope through action. During her roadshows, she shares her reasons for hope and how everyday individual actions can bring about larger, global changes.
How old is Jane Goodall?
She celebrated her 89th birthday on 3rd April 2023.
Florence Merriam Bailey
Who was Florence Merriam Bailey?
Florence Merriam Bailey was an American ornithologist and nature writer.
What was Florence Merriam Bailey known for?
At a time when birds were killed to be studied, Florence Merriam Bailey re-envisioned ornithology.
In her book, Birds Through an Opera Glass, she suggested the best way to view birds was in their natural habitat through the lenses of opera glasses (binoculars), rather than the sight of a shotgun, and so helped form the basis of modern birdwatching.
Florence Merriam Bailey – the activist
Florence’s activism began while attending Smith College in Massachusetts, where she led birdwatching tours to discourage women from buying hats with feathers, and in 1900, at a time when women didn’t even have the right to vote in the USA, she helped pass the Lacey Act, which prohibits the trade of wild animals that have been illegally hunted.
Over the course of her life, Florence attained many firsts, notably becoming the first female fellow of the American Ornithologists’ Union in 1929. She paved the way for women ornithologists and made a male-dominated field accessible to everyone.
Inspired to read more? Check out our feature about the wonder women of ornithology.
Leela Hazzah
Who is Leela Hazzah?
Leela Hazzah is an Egyptian conservation biologist working in Kenya and Tanzania
What is Leela Hazzah known for?
Leela Hazzah has devoted her life to lion conservation in East Africa. Human-wildlife conflict is an increasing problem as we continue to encroach on nature, and the biologist’s focus has been the complex relationship between lions and the Maasai people in Kenya.
Leela Hazzah’s Lion Guardians
Leela proved that humans and lions can live in harmony when she co-founded the conservation project Lion Guardians in 2006. Instead of killing lions, Maasai warriors have become protectors of both their communities and the lions. They monitor lion movement, warn pastoralists of lions, recover lost livestock, and intervene to stop lion hunting parties.
The efforts of Leela and the Lion Guardians have led to the tripling of the lion population in Kenya’s Amboseli region. It is one of the few places in Africa where lion populations are increasing.
Leela Hazzah and the Pride Lion Conservation Alliance
In 2015, Leela went on to establish the Pride Lion Conservation Alliance, along with five other women. They have more than 100 years of collective experience and are combining knowledge and resources to save more lions across Africa.
Leela Hazzah and Women for the Environment Africa
Her work with women doesn’t end there. The world of conservation is dominated by men with too few female African role models, so Leela co-founded Women for the Environment Africa to ensure the current narrative can be changed.
Want to find out more about lions? Are experts have compiled features and guides to these magnificent beasts.
Marina Silva
Who is Marina Silva?
Maria Silva is a Brazilian environmentalist.
What is Marina Silva known for?
Dedicating her life to fighting deforestation in the Amazon rainforest, despite being illiterate until the age of 16, Marina went on to earn a university degree and eventually became Brazil’s Minister of the Environment from 2003 to 2008.
Marina Silva and the Amazon Fund
During this time, Marina helped establish the largest international effort to preserve the rainforest, the Amazon Fund. The initiative receives payments from foreign governments and companies to spend on actions that will reduce deforestation. Marina’s actions were crucial for the 70 per cent reduction in deforestation from 2004 to 2012.
Marina Silva: Minister of the Environment and Climate Change
As of 2023, Marina Silva is the new Minister of the Environment and Climate Change. She remains fierce in her fight against deforestation in the Amazon rainforest. In August 2023, after only eight months back in office, deforestation fell by 66 per cent to its lowest level for that month since 2018. To deter illegal logging, she announced penalties for illegal deforestation and the use of satellite technology for surveillance.
Marina continues to advocate for the protection of the Amazon and stated during a televised address to the Brazilian population: “we respect nature and make it our ally, or we jeopardise our own future.”
Wangari Maathai
Who is Wangari Maathai?
It was rare for girls in Kenya to go to school in the 1940s but in spite of this, Wangari started school when she was eight and went on to excel in her studies. In the 1960s, she got the opportunity to study biological sciences in the USA through a scholarship programme, and she later became the first woman from East and Central Africa to earn a doctoral degree.
What is Wangari Maathai known for?
When deforestation in Kenya caused landslides, frequent droughts, soil erosion and the loss of vital resources for communities, Wangari Maathai understood there was a connection between environmental degradation and poverty.
Wangari Maathai and the Green Belt Movement
In response, the environment activist created the Green Belt Movement in 1977, initially to help rural Kenyan women to plant trees. By doing so, the women were able to bind the soil, store rainwater, increase their food supply and grow their own firewood.
Through the simple act of planting trees, the grassroots organisation empowers communities to improve their livelihoods and protect the environment.
Now, the Green Belt Movement has led to 11 billion trees being planted worldwide and trained more than 30,000 women in conservation trades that help them earn an income.
Wangari Maathai MP
After many years fighting for democratic rights, Wangari was elected as a member of the Kenyan parliament, winning 95 per cent of the votes. She represented her constituency in Tetu from 2002 to 2007, and also served as Assistant Minister for Environment and Natural Resources between 2003 and 2005.
As Wangari continued to be an advocate for the environment and women’s rights, she faced multiple arrests and threats. Former Kenyan President Daniel Moi said she was “a mad woman who was a serious threat to the stability of the country”. Even her husband described her as “too educated, too strong-minded, and too successful”.
Why did Wangari Maathai win the Noble Peace Prize
Wangari’s efforts did not go unnoticed though. In 2004, she became the first female African to win the Noble Peace Prize. Wangari is a truly inspiring example of how grassroots activism can make a real impact.
Sylvia Earle
Who is Sylvia Earle?
American oceanographer and marine biologist Sylvia Earle is the "Queen of the deep".
What is Sylvia Earle famous for?
She has spent seven decades exploring the world’s oceans, with more than 7,000 hours underwater and 100 expeditions. Sylvia never let gender get in the way of her ambitions. In 1964, she joined a six-week expedition to the Indian Ocean, where she was the only female on a ship of 70 crew members, and in 1970 she led a team of all-female aquanauts living for two weeks in underwater laboratory Tektite II, off the coast of the Virgin Islands.
Sylvia Earle – a career of firsts
- Not only did Sylvia defy the norm and forge a path for women in marine biology, but she has earned some remarkable achievements:
- When four months pregnant, she became the first female scientist to descend 30m in a submersible vehicle.
- She holds the world record for the deepest untethered dive.
- She was the first woman to serve as chief scientist at the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
- She was named Time Magazine’s first Hero of the Planet.
- She was also the first woman to become the National Geographic Society’s Explorer-in-Residence.
Sylvia Earle’s Mission Blue
Sylvia continues to devote her life to protecting the world’s oceans. Her own conservation initiative, Mission Blue, is creating a global network of marine protected areas known as Hope Spots.
Sylvia may be well into her 80s, but she still continues to dive. In 2023, she made her first dive in Brazilian waters to visit a Hope Spot in the seas surrounding the Cagarras Islands, off Rio de Janeiro.
Margaret Murie
Who was Margaret Murie?
Known as the grandmother of the conservation movement, Margaret Murie grew up in Alaska, where she developed a love for the natural world.
What was Margaret Murie known for?
She spent her honeymoon on an 800km research trip through the Alaskan wilderness with her new husband, naturalist Olaus Murie. This was the start of many nature adventures through Alaska and Wyoming, and in 1960, she helped establish the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in Alaska – the largest in the USA.
Margaret Murie and the Wilderness Act
Margaret’s legacy stretches beyond Alaska, though. She was instrumental in founding the landmark Wilderness Act, which at first protected nearly 37,000km² of federal land from human exploitation, and now protects more than 450,000km².
The Murie Ranch in rural Wyoming became a base for much of the couple’s campaigning work with the Wilderness Society, and scientists and advocates from around the world were invited to discuss wildlife conservation. The ranch was declared a National Historic Landmark in 2006.
Margaret Murie and the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act
After Olaus’s death, Margaret continued to advocate for the protection of America’s remaining wilderness through letters and speeches.
In 1980, she helped establish the Alaska National Interest Lands Conservation Act and stated, “Beauty is a resource in and of itself. Alaska must be allowed to be Alaska, that is her greatest economy.”
At the age of 97, Margaret’s lifetime of devotion to conservation was recognised when she was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom – the highest award for civilians in the USA.
Dian Fossey
Who was Dian Fossey?
Dian Fossey was an American primatologist and conservationist
What was Dian Fossey famous for?
American primatologist Dian Fossey first observed mountain gorillas in 1963. Captivated by their behaviour, she soon returned to Africa to learn more about them and became a leading expert on the subspecies.
Dian Fossey’s Karisoke Research Centre
Four years later, she founded the Karisoke Research Centre in the Virunga Mountains, Rwanda, continuing her studies in the behaviour and social interactions of mountain gorillas. To gain the trust of the apes, she often mimicked their actions and expressions.
Soon, Dian came to know them as individuals, identifying them from the wrinkles above their noses. Her groundbreaking research changed the way the public perceived gorillas.
Dian Fossey’s Digit Fund
Poachers posed a serious threat to her subjects and Dian used controversial tactics to deter them. In 1978, she established the Digit Fund to finance anti-poaching patrols, named in memory of her favourite gorilla, Digit, who was brutally killed by poachers.
How did Dian Fossey die?
Dian was tragically murdered in 1985. She was aged just 53 and laid to rest next to her “beloved Digit”.
Her dedication to helping save gorillas continues today through the work of the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund. Without her courage, commitment and efforts, mountain gorillas may have gone extinct.
In the region where she worked for almost two decades, the population of mountain gorillas doubled.
Her legacy will live on through her remarkable research and will surely continue to inspire future conservationists around the world.
Lily Venizelos
Who is Lily Venizelos?
A Greek conservationist, known as the “Doyenne of Sea Turtle Conservation”
What is Lily Venizelos known for?
In 1974, bad weather forced the Venizelos family boat to anchor in Laganas Bay, Zakynthos, Greece. Lily discovered a paradise of birds, plants and flowers on a pristine beach, and no hotels in sight. But when she returned in the 1980s, coastal developments had popped up.
When she realised that the beach was home to nesting loggerhead turtles, her devotion to sea turtle conservation began. Lily appealed to the Bern Convention (which aims to conserve nature across Europe) to make the international community aware of the situation.
Her life was threatened several times by locals who didn’t care for the turtles and wanted the developments to continue, but she continued to lobby the Greek government and by 1987, new regulations were brought in to protect the loggerhead turtles.
Lily Venizelos and the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles
Eventually, in 1999, Laganas Bay became Greece’s first Marine National Park. Without her dedication, there would have been a catastrophic loss of sea turtles in this important nesting area and in the Mediterranean.
The work of the Mediterranean Association to Save the Sea Turtles (MEDASSET) continues to this day with founder Lily still serving as president. She may now be in her 90s, but her passion for the turtles shows no signs of abating.
Saengduean Chailert
Who is Saengduean Chailert?
Saengduean "Lek" Chailert is an animal rights advocator and entrepreneur.
What is Saengduean Chailert known for?
Since hearing the haunting cries of elephants forced to work in logging, Saengduean, also known as Lek, has devoted her life to protecting Asian elephants in Thailand.
Saengduean Chailert’s Elephant Nature Park
In the early 1990s, Lek ran a mobile clinic, known as the Jumbo Express, where she provided medical care to elephants in nearby villages. But it wasn’t until 2003 that a generous donation helped her establish the 250-acre Elephant Nature Park, a sanctuary for elephants who have been rescued from the tourism and illegal logging industries.
Lek is committed to educating locals and tourists about inhuman practices such as elephant riding.
The park treats its elephants with respect and compassion – visitors observe from a distance, allowing the residents to roam free, without any disturbances.
When is International Women’s Day 2024
International Women’s Day is observed annually on March 8th.
What is International Women’s Day?
International Women's Day (IWD) is a global day dedicated to celebrating the achievements and contributions of women throughout history.
It also serves as a focal point to raise awareness about gender inequality and advocate for women's rights and gender parity.
The day is marked by various events, discussions, and initiatives aimed at promoting gender equality and acknowledging the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women worldwide.
International Women's Day is not affiliated with any group, but rather is a day for recognizing and honouring women's accomplishments while addressing ongoing challenges they face in many societies.
About the author
Amy May Holt is a writer on a mission to change people’s perspective of nature. She aims to engage, educate and inspire the public to care about complex conservation issues.
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