In Kenya, women take the lead in conservation solutions

On my first trip to Kenya, I had the remarkable opportunity to travel to Tsavo West National Park in search of rhinos with the Honorable Rebecca Miano, the country’s Cabinet Secretary for Tourism and Wildlife. Flying across the park in helicopters, we weren't just witnessing the roll-out of a rhino surveillance program to improve monitoring and protect them from poaching—we were part of it.

Miano believes that it’s hard to make good policy from a distance. That’s why she prioritizes spending time in communities, meeting people who are doing the important work of conservation locally and understanding the very real challenges they are facing. Attaching transmitters and appropriately tracking even just one rhino requires complex logistics and dozens of people across conservation, medicine, and other disciplines to get it right.

We eventually touched ground, and Miano wasted no time in getting her hands dirty, literally, as she stood alongside the 4000-pound animal and helped the team in the tagging process.

Throughout my visit in Kenya, I was struck by the power of women’s leadership at every level—from the highest ranks of government where Miano serves, to the local community. In many cases, women face enormous hurdles stepping into these roles, especially in contexts where women's decision-making authority and access to resources is restricted.

Women play a critical role at the intersection of development and conservation. And I’ve had the privilege to witness just how powerful they become as agents of change when that role is acknowledged, invested in, and celebrated. Sowing Change does all three.

Sowing Change is a CARE-WWF Alliance initiative that puts women at the center of conservation solutions in Kenya's Amboseli landscape. The region faces severe challenges, including land degradation, disrupted wildlife corridors, and increasing human-wildlife conflict. These issues impact women particularly hard due to their traditional roles in the community.

We’ve all heard the saying: “Give a man a fish he eats for a day; teach a man a fish he eats for a lifetime.” For Sowing Change, we imagined a new (if less pithy) twist on an old adage: Give a woman seeds and training, and she'll restore the landscape while building a sustainable business that supports her entire community.

Sowing Change builds on the networks and relationships in place across more than 30 women’s groups. Through these existing structures, the CARE-WWF Alliance connects women to the resources and information they need to develop skills in nature-based enterprises—like bee keeping and dairy goat rearing—that will contribute directly to increased economic, ecological, and climate resilience for their communities.

The results have a compounding impact. During my visit, I met Semeyian Melompuki, a member of the Naretoi Lemong’o Women’s Group, who spoke to us about the impact of their working with Sowing Change, including her work on landscape restoration through reseeding the earth bunds. “According to Maasai culture, men own everything and are responsible for providing for the family," she explained. "But through Sowing Change, women have been given the chance to contribute to the family's wellbeing, providing things that the men overlook. We can even help pay school fees from the restoration work we do." Her pride was evident as she added, "Now there's an improved relationship even between women and children because the children can see what their mothers can do."

Women’s leadership ripples through every level of the project. Emily Mwanaisha, an expert with CARE, works full-time on Sowing Change, building skills within the community. Mercy Mulwa learned beekeeping herself and found it empowering; now she is a trainer with Bee Farmer’s Hub, a Sowing Change partner, and helps other women learn the trade. Faith Tanui, with WWF-Kenya, ensures these stories reach broader audiences and inspire similar changes elsewhere.

From a Cabinet Secretary in a helicopter to a mother building earth bunds to protect her community's soil, I've seen how women step into leadership roles when given the opportunity, tools, and training. These different levels of leadership reinforce each other—when women at the top demonstrate what's possible, it inspires community-level change.

And when we invest in women's leadership across these levels, we don't just improve conservation outcomes. We transform entire communities and inspire the next generation of leaders to dream even bigger.

Author Loren Mayor is the Chief Operating Officer of WWF-US