Partner Perspectives with Women for Conservation

Presentation on Site Visits in Colombia

Founded in 2019, Women for Conservation (W4C) partners with communities in biodiversity hotspots to empower women as environmental leaders and stewards of sustainable livelihoods. Since 2020, the organization has conducted 68 workshops and reached close to 3,000 participants—mostly women and children—through training in nature guiding, conservation, sustainable crafts, children’s environmental education, and reproductive health.

During the webinar, we heard from Population Connection Senior Analyst Hannah Evans, who visited W4C in November. She provided insights into Colombia’s demographic trends before diving into captivating photos and stories from her site visit. We were also joined by mother-daughter duo: Sara Inés Lara, Founder and President of W4C, and Isabella Cortés Lara, Executive Director of W4C. Together, they delved into the organization’s impactful programs. Additionally, they reflected on their experience at the 2025 International Conference on Family Planning (ICFP) held in Bogotá, Colombia, sponsored by Population Connection.

Date: March 11th, 2026

Hannah Evans, Senior Analyst, Population Connection

Hannah works as a Senior Analyst at Population Connection, where she focuses on public speaking and the development of open-source, academic-style resources. She also cultivates partnerships between Population Connection and international NGOs. Before joining Population Connection’s staff, Hannah worked as an adjunct professor of Women’s Studies and taught classes on gender, science, and feminist theory. She has non-profit experience working as a program developer for sustainable agriculture and public health programs in Honduras and Panama and has worked as a researcher studying food security issues throughout Southern California. Hannah holds a BA in Environmental Policy and Natural Resource Conservation and Political Science and a Master’s in Political Ecology from San Diego State University, where her research focused on sustainability labeling and ethical consumption between the United States and Nicaragua.

Sara Inés Lara, Founder & President, Women for Conservation

Before founding Women for Conservation, Sara was the Executive Director of Fundación ProAves, a leading conservation organization in Colombia. Under her leadership, the organization established and managed 17 nature reserves to save endangered species. In 2004, Sara combined her love of nature with her drive to empower women and founded Women for Conservation.

Sara’s principal interests include empowering women, preventing species extinction, safeguarding tropical habitats, and alleviating poverty. It is her life mission to protect the natural world so that we all may have the opportunity to heal through nature. Sara has been recognized as One in a Hundred Great Latin American Women by Billiken Magazine.

Isabella Cortés Lara, Executive Director, Women for Conservation

Isabella Cortés is a passionate conservationist, committed feminist, performer, and artist of indigenous ancestry born in Popayán, Cauca, Colombia. She is the Executive Director for Women for Conservation, a nonprofit that empowers women in rural communities around Key Biodiversity Areas.

As an artist and musician, she uses her creative forces to advocate for endangered species protection, the rights of the LGBTQ community, rights of indigenous communities, reproductive rights, and the conservation of ecosystems.

She has a BS in Wildlife and Fisheries Management and Conservation Ecology from West Virginia University and a MS in Natural Resource Conservation at the University of Kent in England. Isabella also has the great honor of being the namesake for a species of hummingbird, Eriocnemis isabellae listed on the IUCN Red List as Critically Endangered.

Women for Conservation Site Visit – Presented by Hannah Evans

Celebrate International Women’s Day with Women for Conservation – Presented by Sara Inés Lara and Isabella Cortés Lara

Q&A

Questions from the audience, with responses from Sara Lara, Founder and President of Women for Conservation

What are your largest obstacles?
One of the main challenges we face is the lack of sustained funding for grassroots, women-led conservation initiatives. While there is growing recognition of the importance of empowering women in conservation, resources rarely reach the local level where the work is actually happening. Another challenge is the complexity of working in remote rural areas where communities often face limited access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities. Addressing conservation without addressing these social realities is very difficult. Our approach integrates conservation with sustainable livelihoods, environmental education, and voluntary family planning so that communities can protect nature while improving their quality of life.

What are the main drivers of deforestation in Colombia, and how do deforestation rates compare to other South American countries?
In Colombia, the main drivers of deforestation include the expansion of cattle ranching, illegal land grabbing, illicit crop cultivation, mining, infrastructure expansion, and the clearing of forests for speculative land use following conflict dynamics in rural areas. In some regions, deforestation has accelerated due to weak governance and pressure to convert forests into pasture. Colombia has one of the highest deforestation rates in the Amazon region after Brazil, though the dynamics vary year to year depending on policy, enforcement, and economic pressures. Protecting forests therefore requires not only enforcement but also viable alternatives for local communities, which is why investing in sustainable livelihoods and empowering women is so important.

Are you familiar with the four-decade-old conservation funding mechanism called Debt-for-Nature Swaps?
Yes, we are familiar with debt-for-nature swaps, which have been used in several countries to channel financial resources toward conservation. They can be an important mechanism for generating large-scale funding for biodiversity protection and climate action, particularly in tropical countries with high ecological value. However, for these mechanisms to be truly effective, it is critical that part of the funding reaches local communities and grassroots organizations who are the frontline stewards of these ecosystems. When designed well, these agreements can help align national economic priorities with long-term environmental protection.