Kame Westerman
Kame Westerman advances gender equity, human rights and women’s leadership in conservation initiatives. As Conservation International’s Gender and Conservation Advisor, Kame works across projects and programs to promote practical and culturally appropriate ways to integrate gender considerations into field and policy initiatives.
Kame pioneered the organization’s gender program, a cornerstone of Conservation International’s rights-based approach, and has established Conservation International as a leader in gender-integrated conservation. She builds skills for staff and partners, advises on project design and implementation, and supports women in conservation leadership.
Kame’s interest in gender and conservation began in Madagascar, where she first served as a Peace Corps volunteer working with forest-dependent communities. She later led marine conservation efforts with Blue Ventures. She has also worked on sustainable agriculture in Belize and with the U.S. Forest Service International Programs in Washington, D.C. Kame has a master’s degree in sustainable development and conservation biology from the University of Maryland.
Selected scientific papers
- Why gender matters in Conservation, Mongabay: https://news.mongabay.com/2017/05/qa-with-a-champion-of-the-gendered-approach-to-conservation/. May 26, 2017
- Westerman & Benbow (2013) The role of women in community-based small-scale fisheries management: the case of the south west Madagascar octopus fishery. Western Indian Ocean Journal of Marine Science, Vol 12, No 2, pp 119-132.