Of Women who protect the Planet

To protect, to safeguard, to secure – while the social constructs of gender teach us that these are masculine concepts, represented ideally by men or by physical strength – International Women’s Day is our chance to step back and acknowledge the women in our lives not only give us the gift of life itself, but also act as guardians of the planet that makes our existence possible.

In the space of conservation, women across the world have been striving not just to protect life on earth, but to make it a better place for generations to come. These are women who may have pursued their passion for the environment and the natural world silently or under male names – women whose names we may never know, but without whose work our current efforts to work on a safe planet for all species would be impossible.

In India, women like Vandana Shiva, Sunita Narain, Medha Patkar and many others have paved a unique path for younger women who work for the health of the environment - by working passionately and tirelessly for what they believe in and by lifting other women in the field as they climb ladders of success.

At WWF-India, we are lucky to have some inspiring women lead, implement and design our work. From the very balanced Sejal Worah, who leads all our programmes to lawyers like Richa Tyagi who bring holistic perspectives to environmental law;  From our incredible designers like Nitisha Mohapatra who puts life, colour and innovation in our communications products to women like Rupinder Bakshi and Priya Shreshtha who work in the harsh conditions of our field offices – everyday, 45% of our workforce makes for bright, smart women who work to protect the planet.

This International Women’s Day, here’s hoping there are more women come into the conservation fold and protect the planet – both fiercely and gently.