Honouring Indigenous Women in Conservation: A Fellowship Rooted in Collaboration
March 8, 2025
By Valérie Courtois and Justina Ray
Indigenous women carry knowledge and traditions that are central to relationships with lands and waters. They are often the heart of their communities—the organizers who others turn to lead on conservation and stewardship. They share knowledge across generations. They run initiatives to create Indigenous Protected and Conserved Areas in healthy, biodiverse landscapes. And they establish and coordinate Guardians programs to ensure lands are monitored, cared for, and loved.
On this International Women’s Day, we honour this leadership by celebrating a new opportunity designed to support and uplift Indigenous women in conservation: the First Nations Women Transforming Conservation Fellowship.
Hosted by the Indigenous Leadership Initiative and Wildlife Conservation Society Canada, the fellowship will help emerging women leaders expand their professional skills, build relationships, and learn from a circle of mentors.
We have launched this opportunity because we know that with added support, First Nations women can expand their positive impact within and beyond their Nations. This is needed now more than ever. In the face of uncertain times, First Nations women’s leadership is indispensable in protecting lands, waters, and ways of life for the future.
The Leadership of Indigenous Women in Conservation
Indigenous women have always been stewards of land and water. They carry knowledge and traditions that are central to Indigenous Peoples’ relationships with lands and waters. That leadership has taken different shapes in different times.
Today it can look like Grand Chief Mandy Gull and her colleague Chantal Otter-Tetrault working to protect 30% of Eeyou Istchee on behalf of the Cree Nation of Eeyou Istchee. Or Stephanie Thorassie serving as the Executive Director of the Seal River Watershed Alliance, which is establishing an Indigenous Protected and Conserved Area spanning 50,000 square kilometres of intact lands in northern Manitoba. Or it’s Corrine Porter, Gillian Staveley, and Tanya Ball who work with Dena Kayeh Institute to lead a Guardians program and lead the proposed creation of Dene Kʼéh Kusān IPCA in northern British Columbia.
These and many other women are driving conservation efforts that sustain cultures and communities. But leadership is not just about individual voices. It is about creating the conditions where Indigenous women are supported, resourced, and connected, ensuring their leadership continues to grow and thrive.
Parallel Journeys and a Shared Commitment
As two women leaders, our paths have run in parallel for many years. Coming from different backgrounds, we met while working on the frontlines of conservation. Throughout our careers – starting as young professionals and continuing to this day, we have experienced firsthand the invaluable guidance of women mentors. Whether in science, conservation, forestry, climate or Indigenous law, knowledge, and leadership, these mentors have shaped our journeys and strengthened our work.
We have both done our own mentoring over the years, because we know how isolating it can be to face barriers alone. Colonialism and paternalistic policies have restricted the spaces where Indigenous women belong. There’s a need for stronger support systems to nurture and sustain their essential work.
One person who deeply understood and championed this was our dear friend and colleague, Cheryl Chetkiewicz, who the world and we lost in 2024.
Cheryl was one of those people who brightened up every room she entered. A tireless advocate for Indigenous-led conservation, she worked in various ways to support Indigenous leadership in land-use planning, policy, and stewardship initiatives. She believed in the power of relationships built on trust and reciprocity, and she spent deep time in communities–showing up as a whole person, with a big heart as well as scientific expertise. She worked to ensure that Indigenous governance was at the center of conservation decision-making—not an afterthought.
Cheryl also recognized the unique role of Indigenous women in this work. She valued their leadership, knowledge, and ability to bridge generations through conservation efforts. She was a mentor, an ally, and a fierce advocate for making space where Indigenous women’s voices and expertise could shape the future of conservation.
Her passing was a profound loss, but her vision lives on in the work she helped advance and in the people she supported. We are honored to carry this forward in a way that truly reflects her passion and commitment.
A Fellowship Rooted in Community and Mentorship
In Cheryl’s spirit, we are proud to introduce the First Nations Women Transforming Conservation Fellowship—not just as an investment in leadership, but as a commitment to the strength of relationships, mentorship, and community that sustain Indigenous women in conservation.
At the heart of this initiative is the Aunties’ Circle—a group of experienced Indigenous and non-Indigenous women mentors who will help guide and support us as we build and sustain this initiative, but also the fellows themselves.
This fellowship is not just about funding or training—it’s about building a strong, resilient and durable network of Indigenous women conservation leaders who are supported by one another and by those who came before them. If you or someone you know is interested in this opportunity, click here to learn more and apply!
