Liberia

Ellen Johnson Sirleaf served as the President of Liberia from 2006–2018. She won the Nobel Prize for Peace in 2011 as part of her efforts to further women’s rights, as well as the 2017 Ibrahim Prize for Achievement in African Leadership in recognition of the positive changes in Liberia under her administration. Sirleaf was the first woman elected head of state of an African country. In Africa, women make up 70% of the workforce and grow 90% of food. Because most women in sub-Saharan Africa have traditional responsibilities such as growing food, gathering water and fuel, and caregiving, environmental degradation caused by climate change impacts women the most. However, women’s voices are absent from development discussions, despite Africa leading the world in women’s public leadership. According to Sirleaf, one of the best ways to achieve a vibrant conservation sector in Africa is to listen to the women who are affected most by environmental degradation. Despite the establishment of conservancies that protect wildlife corridors across Africa and the fact that rural women have historically assumed the role of guardians of natural resources, women have not had the opportunity to engage in the governance of conservancies. Creating space for the knowledge and capabilities of women would open unseen opportunities in the fight against climate change and increase efficiency in conservation efforts.