The Women of Conservation: Panthera Women Staff Driving Change for Wild Cats

Every person is critical to conserving the world’s biodiversity. At the center of this movement are women, who have been far too often overlooked in the field of conservation. They work as rangers on the front lines of conservation, researchers collecting valuable new information, teachers educating the next generation about wildlife, advocates in communities and office staff ensuring conservation work functions smoothly. Here at Panthera, we pride ourselves on the amazing strides our women staff have made for wild cats and their landscapes.

At every corner of the globe in which Panthera works, women are leading conservation efforts. These places include: 

• Mexico, Costa Rica, Honduras and Belize, where women are the forefront of mitigating human-wildlife conflict and jaguar research; 
• Colombia and Brazil, where women research jaguars and educate communities about the importance of jaguar conservation; 
• Canada and the United States, where a consortium of women researchers and staff protect pumas and spread awareness about wild cat conservation; 
• France and the United Kingdom, where women direct important initiatives to protect wild cats across the globe; 
• Senegal, Zambia and South Africa, where women study leopard, cheetah and lion ecology and ensure human-cat coexistence; 
• Thailand and Malaysia, where women protect tigers, fishing cats and other cat species from deforestation, poaching, human-cat conflict and other threats; 
• And everywhere Panthera works or supports partners that help protect all 40 species of wild cats. 

They are also involved at every stage of the conservation process. Women at Panthera... 

• Lead programs that study cheetah, jaguar and fishing cat lifestyles; 
• Patrol ranges where threatened wild cats roam; 
• Foster coexistence between pumas and people; 
• Fit ocelots with GPS tracking collars; 
• Study snow leopard DNA in the laboratory; 
• Guide important conservation policy discussions; 
• Help build capacity for wild cat conservation; 
• Spread the word and build awareness of the importance of protecting wild felines; 
• And much, much more. 

The women of Panthera have been at the forefront of recent accomplishments in wild cat conservation, including: 

• A likely increasing number of leopards and lions in areas of Kafue National Park, Zambia; 
• A positive assessment of ocelot numbers in the Brazilian Pantanal; 
• Over 2,100 children educated at La Escuela Jaguar in Colombia; 
• A potential increase of wild tiger numbers to 4,500 across Asia; 
• Fishing cat collarings that have given insight into how this threatened species uses its habitat; 
• 40 underpasses and overpasses constructed for wildlife to help them navigate Costa Rica’s highways;
• And more! 

Meet some of these incredible women below. From behind-the-scenes to the rainforests and deserts, the women of Panthera are making serious strides for wild cats: 

Learn more about the women at Panthera.