Population Education’s mission of providing K-12 resources on human population growth runs parallel to the work done by many of Population Connection’s Global Partners.
Consisting of 19 grant-sponsored organizations around the world, these Global Partners advocate for wildlife conservation, reproductive health, and education in their local communities. The impacts are quite significant and far reaching, and you can read more on our previous interview spotlight here.
For Women’s History month, there’s no better time to highlight the work that the nonprofit Women for Conservation is doing to empower women who are protecting the rainforests in Colombia and beyond.
Women for Conservation’s Global Mission
Women for Conservation was founded in 2019 by the mother daughter team of Sara Ines Lara and Isabella Cortes Lara. It began with environmental education programs to raise awareness about endangered species among local families. Recognizing the important link between community health, poverty alleviation and conservation, they expanded their scope of work to support reproductive health workshops and family planning education. The organization puts women and girls at the center of conservation on the ground through initiatives like supporting eco-friendly microbusinesses run by women. This allows families to earn income that does not rely on destructive land practices such as logging, ranching and poaching wildlife. The Women in Conservation team has been busy working on the ground and spreading awareness through Ted Talks, workshops, and webinars!
Interview with Isabella Cortes of Women for Conservation
I had the pleasure of hearing Isabella speak on a panel for Population Connection’s World Rainforest Day celebration, and wanted to learn more! I reached out with some more questions about Women for Conservation’s educational initiatives. Read the interview below!
Empowering Women to be Conservation Leaders
Q: What are the impacts you’ve seen from empowering women to become conservation leaders?
Isabella Cortes: At Women for Conservation, we’ve witnessed firsthand how empowering women transforms both communities and ecosystems. Over the years, we’ve supported thousands of women across Colombia in becoming environmental stewards, and the results have been nothing short of inspiring. These women aren’t just learning about conservation—they’re becoming leaders in their communities, spearheading projects that protect endangered species and restore critical habitats.
One of our most remarkable success stories is Ninfa Carianil, the first woman we trained as a forest guard. Ninfa’s dedication and exceptional work protecting critical wildlife habitat in the Amazon Rainforest earned her the prestigious International Ranger Award from the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. Her journey from local community member to internationally recognized conservation leader is a testament to what’s possible when women are given the tools and support to lead.
Our work has also grown beyond Colombia. In Madagascar, we’ve supported women forest rangers who patrol the ancient and majestic Baobab Alley. Since these patrols began in 2021, the project has led to an 80% decrease in human-made threats to the iconic Baobab trees, ensuring their protection for generations to come.
These stories illustrate that empowering women isn’t just about education—it’s about unleashing their leadership potential and giving them the opportunity to transform their communities and protect the planet. Every woman who becomes a conservation leader creates a ripple effect, inspiring others and building a more sustainable future for people and wildlife alike.
Expanding Environmental Education Impacts
Q: Can you tell us about recent education projects that you’ve been working on?
Isabella Cortes: Our beloved Rana Chiva educational bus has been evolving and expanding its mission. Originally created to raise awareness about endangered amphibians between 2022-2024, the Rana Chiva inspired over 21,000 children and families in rural Colombia with engaging, hands-on conservation education. Now, we’re taking a bold step forward by introducing the Reinita Chiva, a mobile classroom focused on migratory bird conservation!
Modeled after Colombia’s traditional chivas – colorful buses that traverse rural and mountainous regions – the Reinita Chiva brings conservation education to some of the most remote and impoverished communities in Colombia. Through games, play-based learning, and interactive experiences, children learn about the importance of protecting migratory birds and their fragile habitats while having fun. Our goal is to inspire the next generation of environmental stewards, empowering them with knowledge and fostering a love for nature.
Why migratory birds? Colombia is the most bird-rich country on Earth, hosting hundreds of migratory species that depend on its habitats during their long journeys. Unfortunately, deforestation and habitat loss have placed many of these birds – like the Vulnerable Cerulean Warbler and the Near Threatened Golden-winged Warbler – at risk. Recognizing the urgency, Women for Conservation partnered with Fundación ProAves to transform the Rana Chiva into the Reinita Chiva during the migratory bird season, ensuring these critical species have a future.
The Reinita Chiva will visit 240 schools each year, reaching more than 11,000 children and teachers. By blending environmental education with fun, hands-on learning, we’re not just teaching children about conservation. We’re giving them hope and empowering them to become the protectors of Colombia’s extraordinary biodiversity.
We can’t wait to see what the next chapter holds for the Reinita Chiva. We’re building a movement of conservation through education, one colorful bus ride at a time!
Watch Isabella Cortes Lara’s TEDX video here.
Interconnected Relationships with People and Wildlife
Q: What is one thing you’d like more people to know about your work with conservation education?
Isabella Cortes: One thing we’d love more people to know about our work in wildlife conservation education is how deeply intertwined conservation and community well-being are. What might surprise many is that when we empower rural women and provide them with conservation education, it’s not just wildlife that benefits – entire communities thrive. For example, our educational programs don’t just teach about protecting endangered species; they also give women and children the tools to create sustainable livelihoods, access new opportunities, and develop stronger connections to their natural environment.
We’ve seen that when children learn about biodiversity through hands-on activities—like seed planting for habitat restoration or monitoring migratory birds—they take that knowledge home and share it with their families, sparking a community-wide ripple effect. These small moments can create long-term cultural change, turning everyday people into passionate advocates for nature. It’s incredibly rewarding to see a child who once had no exposure to conservation grow into a young environmental leader or a woman in a rural village develop into a powerful voice for biodiversity protection in her region.
Most of all, this work reminds us that conservation is about people just as much as it is about wildlife. By blending education with community empowerment, we’re not just saving species. We’re building hope for a more sustainable and connected future.
Please listen to our director Sara Ines Lara’s TEDX here.
Women Leading the Way
Women for Conservation’s work is critical not only for inspiring women across the globe, but also offering a new framework for how social and environmental change can be catalyzed in communities through hands-on knowledge. By empowering women to be agents of change, more individuals are encouraged to become stewards of their environment. Women in Conservation offers a clear path for how the health of both people and the planet can be prioritized.
Learn more by following Women for Conservation on social media and staying up to date with their website!
Image credit: All photos from Women for Conservation, used with permission.
