Our Mission

At Women Conserving Southern Africa (WCSA), we believe that empowering women is key to creating a sustainable future for both people and nature. Across 12 southern African countries, women are increasingly stepping into roles as community leaders, researchers, guides, rangers, and policy makers. Yet, opportunities to connect, exchange ideas, and collaborate across borders remain limited.

Our mission is to change that. The WCSA congress provides a dedicated platform for women in conservation to:

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• Unite across borders: Bringing together women from Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Lesotho, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, and Zimbabwe.

• Share knowledge and skills: Through presentations, workshops, and panel discussions on critical themes such as biodiversity, climate change, community-based natural resource management, indigenous knowledge, and gender equality.

• Strengthen leadership: By building capacity in conservation technology, management, data analysis, fundraising, and other essential tools.

• Build lasting networks: Creating connections that go beyond the congress, with thematic groups continuing collaboration and support across the region.

• Drive impact: Developing recommendations for action that will be shared widely through publications, policy briefs, and outreach materials.

 

Together, we are creating a vibrant and supportive space where women can learn, lead, and inspire one another—ensuring that their voices shape the future of conservation in southern Africa.