By Nicole Trudeau, Strategic Engagement Specialist, Global Fund for Coral Reefs, United Nations Capital Development Fund; and Margaux Monfared, International Policy and Advocacy Manager, International Coral Reef Initiative
The conservation field has traditionally been male-dominated, but in the 2020s, women leaders are redefining a sustainable future—especially for coral reefs. The first UN Biodiversity Conference of the decade, the Fifteenth Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP15), saw former CBD Executive Secretary Elizabeth Maruma Mrema lead the adoption of the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), a groundbreaking agreement that set ambitious global conservation goals.
Building on this foundation, the Sixteenth UN Biodiversity Conference (CBD COP16) convened under the theme “Peace with Nature.” Recognizing that GBF targets require inclusive, society-wide collaboration, the new CBD Executive Secretary, Astrid Schomaker, and COP16 President, Colombia’s Minister for the Environment and Sustainable Development H.E. María Susana Muhamad González, led what many described as “the People’s COP.”
This conference came at a critical moment for coral reefs, ecosystems under unprecedented stress. Following announcements of a fourth global mass bleaching event affecting nearly 80% of reefs, COP16 emphasised the urgent need for comprehensive approaches, including climate action, economic transition, enhanced protections, and expanded conservation.
Throughout COP16, women led efforts for coral reef conservation, sharing the latest scientific research, advancing resilience strategies, proposing innovative financing mechanisms, highlighting essential policy priorities, and securing critical funding. Their leadership underscored a commitment to both immediate and long-term coral reef protection amid escalating environmental threats.
Guardians on the frontlines of action—including Elizabeth Valenzuela from Fondo Acción, Angelique Brathwaite of Blue Alliance, Melanie McField from Healthy Reefs for Healthy People, and Ana-Paula Prates from the Ministry of Environment, Brazil, Elizabeth McLeod of The Nature Conservancy, Susan Lieberman representing Wildlife Conservation Society, and many others—worked to inform policymakers on the connections between coral reefs, economic prosperity, and the well-being of coastal communities. Youth representatives like Yurshell Rodríguez from Colombia and Carla Lumba from the Philippines added powerful voices, stressing the need to protect reefs for future generations. “The outcomes of COP16 mark a significant milestone in the global effort to protect coral reefs and marine biodiversity, reinforcing the ocean’s essential role in addressing biodiversity and climate challenges. However, to turn these decisions into lasting impact, it is crucial that financial commitments and national actions align swiftly with the ambition set forth in Cali,” said Ana-Paula Prates.
Women in leadership championed holistic resilience-based approaches. The United Kingdom’s Minister for Nature, H.E. Mary Creagh, underscored this need, stating, “Protecting our ocean and its precious habitats is fundamental to life on earth. But without urgent action, the world’s coral reefs face extinction from global heating, acidification, disease, and pollution; a vital ecosystem lost within our lifetime.”
In the COP16 Blue Zone, an Emergency Special Session for Coral Reefs convened to assess bleaching impacts, issue urgent calls to action from key coral nations, and outline funding needs. During this session, Ilima Kloulchad from Palau emphasised, “We are at the frontlines in the fight to save coral reefs and must act now.”
At the #ForCoral Pavilion’s Forging Coral Reef Resilience session, speakers like Penny Stock from UNDP, Maria Jose Gonzalez of the MAR Fund, and Marine Collignon representing France showcased innovative financial models for reef conservation. Jillian Dempster representing New Zealand announced her country’s commitment to the Global Fund for Coral Reefs, including a $10 million USD pledge, and encouraged donors and investors to join the urgent effort to safeguard reefs.
This collective action by women at COP16 aligns with the GBF’s emphasis on inclusive conservation. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema affirmed, “Target 23 aims to ensure gender equality in the implementation of the framework through a gender-responsive approach where women and girls have equal opportunity and capacity to contribute to the three objectives of the Convention. This includes recognizing their equal rights and access to land and natural resources and their full, equitable, meaningful and informed participation and leadership at all levels of action, engagement, policy and decision-making related to biodiversity.”
Research consistently shows that nations led by women adopt greener policies and sustainable practices, yet environmental governance remains male-dominated. Recent estimates indicate over two-thirds of environment ministers and heads of state globally are men, with only two indigenous women currently heading environment ministries. An IUCN report from 2024 estimates gender parity in these roles could be over 160 years away.
The UN Biodiversity COPs in 2022 and 2024 offered encouraging glimpses into a future shaped by women’s leadership—vital not only for environmental health but also for a sustainable blue and green future. Yet, much more remains to be done.
The pursuit of a healthy, resilient planet must go hand in hand with the quest for gender equity. Equal power for women to steward Earth’s resources is not merely an opportunity—it’s a necessity.
In conservation, women must elevate each other toward equality. And for men, it’s time to champion fair, inclusive leadership. Nature’s resilience depends on diverse voices working together to achieve a thriving planet.
