New Fellowship Recognizes Role of Indigenous Women in Conservation, Will Engage and Support Women Leaders Across Amazon

Fellowship applications due online by January 24

The program is expected to start by March 2021 and end approximately February 2022

Arlington, Va. (January 5, 2021) – Our Future Forests - Amazonia Verde, a Conservation International effort, is welcoming applications for an Indigenous Women’s Fellowship that will recognize the key role they play in in their communities and conservation efforts across the region. It aims to support Indigenous women as they align their culture, care for the environment and vision for the future to protect and conserve the Amazon’s forests, one of Earth’s most important ecosystems.

This initiative will offer financial support as well as mentorship and networking opportunities to 15 Indigenous women leaders, two each from Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, Colombia, Guyana, Suriname, Brazil and one at regional level. The Coordinator of Indigenous Organizations of the Amazon River Basin (COICA) will support the program and participate in the selection process alongside Conservation International.

Key application Information:

Applicants should visit www.conservation.org/lideresindigenas to learn more and access the application.

Applications are due to lideresindigenas@conservation.org by Sunday, Jan. 24, 2021.

The fellowship will begin in March 2021 through approximately February 2022.

About the fellowship:

Each fellow will partake in an experience tailored to their individual needs and interests giving the opportunity to enhance and expand their own leadership as well as uplift the next generation. With support from the project team, fellows will identify objectives and corresponding activities they hope to achieve that will support the long-term sustainability of the Amazon ecosystem. Recipients will create a written work plan at the start of their fellowship that will serve as the base to generate increased mentorship and networking support. Selected fellows will work closely with Conservation International to develop a clear work plan and associated budget and will attend monthly meetings which will take place  in person or by phone, keeping health and safety a priority. At the end of the fellowship, the fellow will produce a final report and summary of their work.

Financing:

Each participant will receive up to USD $10,000 to cover project activities, stipend and other expenses such as phone calls, Internet connection, etc. This amount does not include travel expenses.

Additional background:

Across the Amazon, Indigenous women play a critical role in environmental stewardship; from chief women leading their communities in protest against illegal mining, to indigenous women fighting against governments to protect their lands, and female forest warriors who enforce protections and prevent loggers from entering their territories – their role and knowledge is essential in protecting the Amazonian biome.

The project, Our Future Forests - Amazonia Verde, led by Conservation International and funded by the French Government focuses on empowering Indigenous peoples and local communities (IPLCs) across seven countries to inspire and support protection of 12% of the region. The collaboration includes the Indigenous Women Fellowship Program as a key opportunity to directly support women’s leadership through a dedicated fund, aimed at positioning IPLCs as key players in the fight against climate change, recognizing their vital conservation role.

Despite their critical role, women are often marginalized from decision-making processes. While there are certainly examples of strong Indigenous female leaders, there remains an overall large gap in participation and decision-making at all levels in traditional societies, where male elders most often serve in leadership positions. This can lead to inequitable policies and initiatives at the local, national and international levels, inhibiting the success of climate and conservation efforts while continuing to limit the influence of Indigenous women.

About Conservation International

Conservation International works to protect the critical benefits that nature provides to people. Through science, partnerships and fieldwork, Conservation International is driving innovation and investments in nature-based solutions to the climate crisis, supporting protections for critical habitats, and fostering economic development that is grounded in the conservation of nature. We work in 30 countries around the world, empowering societies at all levels to create a cleaner, healthier and more sustainable planet. Follow Conservation International's work on Conservation News, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About Our Future Forests – Amazonia Verde

The project proposes to conserve 70 million hectares of the Amazon Forest by 2023 (21 million hectares directly and 49 million hectares indirectly), contributing to developing the capacities of indigenous peoples and local communities empowering to lead by themselves, by promoting new financial mechanisms, promoting investments and conservation incentives and thus give them the possibility to implement their own initiatives to conserve forests and guarantee their livelihoods. Long-term conservation of the Amazon rainforest requires skills, will, and funding. Project activities will benefit more than 59,000 men, women and children in total.

This is another contribution from Our Future Forests – Amazonia Verde, Conservation International project to support the implementation of the Leticia Pact to build on the priorities set by the French President Emmanuel Macron at the Climate Week, New York in 2019.