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Home Philanthropy

Women in Conservation — Azzedine Downes Shares His Views

The head of the International Fund for Animal Welfare reflects on the critical role of women in worldwide conservation efforts

byAzzedine Downes - President & CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)
October 30, 2021
in Philanthropy, SDG Series, Women
Elephant in the wild of Africa
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The natural world is magnificent in both its beauty as well as its complexity. Nature is often referred to as ‘simple’, when the truth is, there is rarely anything simple about the processes and iterations of life that come together to produce such a rich tapestry of biodiversity.

As complex as the natural realm is, the world of conservation, which seeks to preserve that realm, is also one that is by no means free of complexity or confusion. It is true that wildlife will pretty much ‘take care of itself’ if it is left alone — in essence, if the human factor is removed from its oft position of influence or interference. Populations often bounce back and, to quote the late 90’s film, “Jurassic Park,” ‘nature finds a way.’ The key challenge in achieving results, however, is getting the message of conservation across to humans.

I am often asked why anyone would care about elephants, lions, or giraffes, when truthfully, though they command such awe and attention, their existence doesn’t actually affect their lives directly. More interesting than the question itself, is who poses the question. Most often it is men. I don’t think it is necessarily because all men think about conservation differently than all women. I think it stems mainly from the fact that many of the decision makers with whom I meet in the conservation field tend to be men. This herein is a flaw of the field itself.

Azzedine Downes observing elephants in the wild as part of conservation efforts
In the Photo: Azzedine Downes, IFAW Executive Vice President for International Operations, observing elephants on location in Chobe National Park, Botswana. Photo Credit: IFAW.

As head of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW), I have had the pleasure of meeting with numerous women during my extensive travels to project sites across the globe. Some directly involved through professional roles in conservation; others not. But more importantly, I have had a chance to meet with those women who are the ones actually living alongside wildlife. Coexisting, cohabitating; regardless of the term, the concept is the same. But the conversations are quite different. Rarely are those conversations about policy, but about the daily life and struggles of the family unit as a result of living alongside wildlife.

Conservation for many women around the world involves a personal struggle — even if they don’t actually use the word ‘conservation’ to express how they view wildlife and the dangers of living so deeply intertwined with it. It is a concept that is far removed from our Western mentality that so often involves ‘fortress conservation’ or simply rounding up species in protected areas and ‘looking at them from the outside in’.


Related Articles: Jennifer Gardner Rescuing Animals Threatened by Natural Disasters | Josey Sharrad, Wildlife Campaigner, Protecting Australia’s Animals | Lei Zhou — Conserving China’s Birds of Prey

The women I meet live in a world far more ‘conjoined’ with wildlife than many often realize. And as our goal at IFAW is for animals and people to thrive together in the place we call home, I believe it is this concept of home that most deeply resonates with the spirit of these incredible women I encounter in conservation. Many may not necessarily have a direct affiliation to IFAW or be formally trained to address the most pressing wildlife struggles, but have no doubt, they are indeed involved in and critical to conservation as a whole. They embody the strongest spirit of the family unit; and their engagement in the act of conservation is an act of expanding that family unit and embracing the broader family of the natural world all around them.

Including women directly in IFAW’s conservation efforts can and has taken many forms. From embracing the talent and tenacity of Team Lioness, a group of women rangers in Kenya who, for the first time in their Maasai community, stand proud in the shoes formally worn only by men; to investing in small business enterprises both owned and managed by women in Malawi; to engaging with the women of the local community, acknowledging their expertise and perspective around engaging with wildlife. These are all acts of women in conservation.

Azzedine Downes participating in conservation efforts by freeing a rescued bird of prey
In the Photo: In November 2018 Azzedine Downes released rescued raptors on Great Wall in Beijing China with the Beijing Raptor Rescue Center. Pictured alongside Grace Gabriel, IFAW’s Regional Director, Asia. Photo Credit: IFAW.

One conversation that I had with a local Maasai woman has stayed with me all these years. When discussing whether or not a local IFAW conservation project had made any difference to her, she politely responded that the people in the community were indeed very happy to see women involved in the projectitself. I pressed her further to find if the project had made any difference to her personally. She said that she realized that there were ways to peacefully share critical resources like water with local elephants, recalling that this realization echoed what her own mother and father had taught her about coexistence as a young girl. Her next sentence certainly stuck with me when after some hesitation, she shared, “I feel as though I was living in a shadow and that by simply being heard and having my opinion valued, I have now been emerged from that shadow.”

I have no doubt that leadership will continue to emerge at all levels amongst the strongest of women who have previously dwelled in the shadows. Women are not just one of the many players in the forefront of conservation; they are the greatest untapped potential, the ones who most realize that it is not a ‘save one or the other’ proposition, but rather a chance to ultimately save the broader family unit which includes us all. This is the true embodiment of our most hopeful future and our collective chance to achieve true coexistence with the natural world.


Editor’s Note: The opinions expressed here by Impakter.com columnists are their own, not those of Impakter.com. — In the Featured Photo: A picture of an elephant in the wild. The photo was taken and auctioned at IFAW’s recent global auction, Art to Roam, which raised $53,200 AUD. The proceeds will go to conservation projects in Africa and the artists. Featured Photo Credit: IFAW.

Tags: biodiversityClimate ChangeConservationwildlifeWomen in Conservation
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Azzedine Downes - President & CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)

Azzedine Downes - President & CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW)

When Azzedine Downes became President and CEO of the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW) in 2012, one thing was clear to him: "Talking to people who already agreed with us just isn’t enough to get real results." As IFAW’s Executive Vice President since 1997, Azzedine had worked closely with experts from across the sciences and decision makers from around the world. But when he became President, IFAW started bringing together what Azzedine likes to call “the unusual suspects.” Seamstresses in Malawi. Auction houses in China. Military intelligence officers in Minnesota. Working together, IFAW’s eclectic network is now helping animals and people thrive together in more than 40 countries. Azzedine has led IFAW through a groundbreaking period of geographic expansion and strategic consolidation. He’s helped open offices on four continents, including IFAW’s first office in the Middle East. Azzedine has also influenced international policies to create positive change on the ground. In Azzedine’s first year as President, IFAW signed a historic lease agreement with a Maasai community near Amboseli National Park in Kenya, securing 16,000 acres of precious habitat for elephants. Months later, Azzedine helped establish a first-of-its-kind cooperative framework between IFAW and INTERPOL’s Environmental Crime Program. For years, Azzedine has served as the Head of the Delegation to the CITES Conference of the Parties. And recently, he directed IFAW’s successful campaign for membership to the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). Before joining IFAW, Azzedine served as the Chief of Party for the U.S. Agency for International Development in Jerusalem and Morocco, as well as the Acting Regional Director for the United States Peace Corps in Eurasia and the Middle East. In 2015, Fast Company named Azzedine one of the “The Most 100 Creative People in Business,” and he has been listed among The NonProfit Times’s “Power and Influence Top 50.” He is a member of the Global Tiger Forum Advisory Council, and he currently sits on the U.S. Trade and Environmental Policy Advisory Committee. A graduate of Providence College and Harvard University, Azzedine is fluent in Arabic, English, and French.

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