Celebrating the remarkable women within the BirdLife Partnership (Part 1)

Today we are celebrating remarkable women, nominated by the BirdLife Partnership in recognition of their leadership, dedication and passion for conserving nature. The path they have chosen has been challenging, often working in male-dominated environments and cultures. Yet, the empowerment of women and girls in science is vital to combat the biodiversity and climate crisis.  

As described by UN Women, the climate crisis is not ‘gender neutral’: women are and will be disproportionately impacted if we don’t stop the escalation of the crises. The reality is that science needs women, as much as women need science. We need a diversity of voices, experiences and backgrounds to create the innovative, sustainable solutions that will ensure a world where all life can thrive.  

These are stories of women across the BirdLife Partnership who have led the way to ensure that female voices and perspectives are firmly entrenched in the conservation of nature. 

Batrisyia Teepol, Member/Researcher, Malaysian Nature Society
“Conservation may not be widely practised in Malaysia, but growing up, I developed a deep love for wildlife and nature. It felt natural for me to want to work in the conservation of nature. Living on Borneo Island, a developing country rich in biodiversity, I cultivated a strong sense of responsibility for protecting wildlife and natural habitats.

While conservation is often seen as a male-dominated field globally, it’s inspiring to see that in Southeast Asia, powerful women are leading the way in shorebird conservation. I’m fortunate to be surrounded by supportive and empowering individuals – both men and women, who have never made me doubt my place in the field. I’m content with the progress I’ve made in my career and grateful that I’m able to pursue my passion for migratory shorebirds. If there is one thing I would emphasize, it’s this: listen. We need to make sure everyone is heard and that women are seen as equals, as we all are working toward the same cause – for a better world!”

We need to make sure everyone is heard and that women are seen as equals, as we all are working toward the same cause – for a better world! – Batrisyia Teepol

Women are often not heard or overlooked – and are often as underrepresented as speakers at conferences, or as professional bird guides. – Alena Kacal

Alena Kacal, Director of Tourism and Outreach, BirdLife Israel 

“I am the Director of Tourism and Outreach of BirdLife Israel and past Director of the Nili and David Jerusalem Bird Observatory, Israel’s first urban nature site and part of the Society for the Protection of Nature in Israel. My passion is leading efforts to create a gender-inclusive birdwatching community. 

Today, I work on a country-wide level to offer courses, trips, workshops and webinars to people of all ages – in Hebrew and English. For my master’s degree, I conducted a survey of birdwatchers in Israel where I identified a very significant gender gap. This led me to organize Israel’s first women’s only birdwatching conference in March 2019, where 65 female birders from around the country participated and presented. This was followed by additional conferences in 2022 and 2024. In 2020, I formed Women in Steppe – the first international all-women’s team to participate in the Champions of the Flyway bird race in Israel. My hope is to inspire a new generation of female birders to break the glass ceiling. 

Working as a woman in science and in the birding community has not been easy. It is often a very male-dominated world – especially out in the field. I was encouraged by one professor to learn GIS and stay in the lab, to leave the survey work to the guys. Women are often not heard or overlooked – and are often as underrepresented as speakers at conferences, or as professional bird guides. My advice to all girls who are looking at a career in science is – just do it! Follow your passion and don’t give up. Look for strong women in your field and ask them to mentor you. But I would also say to all of us women working in the field – we need to be always reaching down to help these young women up and to be the strong mentors that they need.”

Fadzai Matsvimbo, Preventing Extinctions Programme Coordinator for Africa, BirdLife International

“I am the Preventing Extinctions Programme Coordinator for Africa based in Nairobi. My work revolves around threatened species, implementing actions to help save them – my focus right now is on African vultures. With 7 out the 11 vultures found in Africa classified as endangered/vulnerable, the work that I do is important in saving these important scavengers. I grew up as a curious child asking hundreds of questions, I have always had a desire to know more about different things. That is what really got me motivated. In terms of working with birds, I spent a year interning for an organisation that was based in Zimbabwe’s largest National Park. This opened my eyes to whole big world of conservation and the rest is history! 

Working in science, conservation particularly has been exciting. The places I have been, the networks I have made would not have happened without this career. Most people do make the point of how hard it can be for a woman to be in science, it has not been like that for me. I have enjoyed working with a lot of great women that excel at they do in their different fields. 

My advice is pursuing what you enjoy the most. If you are not sure what to pursue talk to people in that field and ask them about their journey and the opportunities within that field. If you are able to intern, use it to try different things in order to find that which you are good at.  Be curious about things, ask questions!”

My advice is pursuing what you enjoy the most. If you are not sure what to pursue talk to people in that field and ask them about their journey and the opportunities within that field. – Fadzai Matsvimbo

It is uncommon for conservation to be seen as a career for women in Indonesia; conservation is still seen as a male world, and limited to natural science. – Vincentia Widyasari

Vincentia Widyasari, Knowledge and Program Development Manager, Burung Indonesia 

“Since childhood, I’ve been always questioning things; ‘why’ is my favourite word and I was persistent to get the answers. I grew up with books, nature magazines, and photos of my Dad’s trips (he was a journalist). Following my curiosity and concerns (e.g. why do humans destroy nature?), here I am now, without even realising that I have already dived deep into conservation work. 

It is uncommon for conservation to be seen as a career for women in Indonesia; conservation is still seen as a male world, and limited to natural science. I have always been confident of my gender and sexuality, but not with my scientific background. I know that I’m good at what I do and excel at it, yet because I’m not from a natural science background, and I don’t have a Master’s degree I have struggled to believe in myself. I am not there yet, however, I have researched, learnt from others and practised in the field to become better. Colleagues’ support has been fantastic; it has helped a lot when doubt has crept in. One of my proudest moments was leading the integration of behaviour change science. Now, behaviour change has become one of the key references in our conservation work. 

Here is what I think needs to be done to make conservation a safer and more accessible career option for women in Indonesia: 1) Show examples of women working in conservation; share their stories of success, failures, flaws, and overcoming challenges; 2) Invite young girls to join us working in the field, or just simply sit with them and exchange stories; 3) Provide opportunities for courses, studies, and mentorship; 4) Create safe network/supports (informal may be better) of sisterhoods in conservation; 5) Provide the time and energy to mentor young girls.”