For the first time, women working to protect nature across Brazil’s five biomes — Cerrado, Caatinga, Pantanal, Atlantic Forest and Pampa — will come together in Corumbá, in Mato Grosso do Sul, to exchange experiences on livelihoods, conservation and climate action.

The 2026 Women Interbiomes Gathering, held on September 17 and 18, is part of Redes pela Conservação (Networks for Conservation), an initiative funded by the German government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI). The project works across Brazil’s five biomes to support the implementation of Plans for the Prevention and Control of Deforestation and Fires (PPCDs) and contribute to Brazil’s targets for reducing greenhouse gas emissions and achieving zero deforestation by 2030.

In the Pantanal, the project is implemented by Ecoa – Ecology and Action, which is also supporting the gathering. Its activities include strengthening socio-biodiversity value chains and supporting businesses and initiatives led by women.

More than simply bringing experiences together, the gathering seeks to promote a shift in perspective: recognizing women not only as beneficiaries of conservation policies. “It is important that women are seen as knowledge producers, leaders, decision-makers and protagonists of conservation in their territories,” says Nathalia Ziolkowski, Executive Director of Ecoa.

Knowledge that generates income and protects territories

One of the experiences represented at the gathering comes from the Barra do São Lourenço community in the Pantanal.

Leonida Aires, known as Eliane, is a fisherwoman, artisan and president of the Association of Women Artisans of the Barra do São Lourenço Community (Renascer). She is also a member of the Network of Women Producers of the Cerrado and Pantanal (CerraPan).

Eliane will bring to Corumbá the experience of riverside women who transform natural resources and traditional knowledge into products, income and strategies for conserving the Pantanal.

One example is the work of artisans who use water hyacinth, a plant abundant in the region, as a raw material. Their experience shows how the sustainable use of biodiversity can be directly linked to women’s economic autonomy and the preservation of community knowledge.

For Nathalia Ziolkowski, initiatives such as this highlight a dimension that is often missing from conservation policies: the connection between protecting nature and the everyday lives of local communities.

“Conservation does not happen separately from community life,” she emphasizes.

A network connecting Brazil’s five biomes

The gathering brings together around 20 women, including Quilombola, Indigenous and family-farming leaders, as well as representatives of the organizations involved in the project.

Fifteen women leaders were nominated by the Brazilian Semi-Arid Articulation (ASA), Rede Cerrado and Rede Ecovida de Agroecologia, organizations involved in the initiative alongside Caritas Germany. The diversity of experiences will allow participants to compare challenges and solutions developed across different Brazilian landscapes.

One of the gathering’s goals is to collectively develop guidelines for the gender justice component of Redes pela Conservação through 2031.

This strategy is part of the project’s broader approach to strengthening local networks and connecting organizations, communities and public policies so that conservation and the sustainable use of biodiversity can advance alongside income generation and social inclusion.

From discussion to action in the field

On the second day of the gathering, participants will leave the meeting room and travel to the Baía Negra Environmental Protection Area (APA Baía Negra) in Ladário, just a few kilometers from Corumbá.

Established in 2010, the area is the first and only sustainable-use protected area in the southern Pantanal region of Mato Grosso do Sul. Women organized through a local association develop activities there including food production, handicrafts and community-based tourism.

The visit will provide an opportunity to learn first-hand about initiatives that combine environmental conservation and income generation, and to discuss how these experiences could contribute to other regions of Brazil.

Conservation with women at the center

By supporting networks working directly in local territories, Redes pela Conservação seeks to strengthen the implementation of Brazilian policies to combat deforestation and fires while ensuring that the people who live and work in these territories remain at the heart of the process.

Women’s participation is a strategic part of this approach. Their experiences demonstrate that biodiversity conservation is also connected to economic autonomy, recognition of traditional knowledge, stronger community organizations and participation in decisions about the territory.

Redes pela Conservação is carried out by Caritas Germany, the Brazilian Semi-Arid Articulation (ASA), Rede Cerrado and Rede Ecovida de Agroecologia, in partnership with the Government of Brazil through the Ministry of the Environment and Climate Change (MMA). In the Pantanal, the project is implemented by Ecoa – Ecology and Action.

The project is funded by the German Federal Government’s International Climate Initiative (IKI) through the Federal Ministry for the Environment, Climate Action, Nature Conservation and Nuclear Safety (BMUKN).