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Women are key players in biodiversity conservation in mountainous regions

31 March 2025 | Story Andre Damons | Photo Andre Damons

Alia Datoo-Eliakeney Njau — Alia Datoo from the Mountain Women of the World Network, and Eliakeney Njau, founder and senior mountain guide of Kilimanjaro Wanderwomen Tours, at the Southern African Mountain Conference.

Mountain women play a pivotal role in environmental protection and socio-economic development in mountainous regions and are integral to the sustainability of fragile mountain ecosystems. However, research shows that these women face multiple and diverse challenges, including gender-based discrimination and restricted access to entrepreneurial and educational opportunities.

This research, which provides critical insights into the lives of mountain women, their challenges, and opportunities for empowerment, was presented by Alia Datoo, Founder of Women who Hike-Africa (Kenya) Ltd and part of the Mountain Women of the World Network, at the Second Southern African Mountain Conference (SAMC2025) taking place at the Champagne Sports Resort in the Drakensberg.

The SAMC events are conceptualised by the Afromontane Research Unit of the University of the Free State (UFS), the African Mountain Research Foundation, and Global Mountain Safeguard Research (GLOMOS) – a joint initiative between Eurac Research and the UNU Institute for Environment and Human Security. SAMC2025 is held under the patronage of UNESCO.

Mountain Women of the World is a collaborative network founded in 2020 by non-profit organisation Empowering Women of Nepal, non-profit organisation Feminist Hiking Collective, groups Kilimanjaro Women and las Cholitas Escaladoras de Bolivia, and the enterprises Mujeres a la Cumbre, Women Who Hike-Africa and Topchu Art Group from Kyrgyzstan.

This initiative aims to promote a transnational network of mountain women, to build mountain women's collective feminist leadership, strengthen economic justice, narrate a collective mountaineering story and foreground the collective knowledge and experience of mountain women in protecting mountains.

Datoo said their research underscores the stories and voices of mountain women, highlighting the multiple and diverse challenges they face, particularly in rural areas and within the mountain tourism sector. Despite the differences in geography and culture, many of the challenges mountain women face are strikingly similar, she said.

Greater recognition, resources, and representation for mountain women

“We did extensive in-person interviews with 313 women across eight mountain nations, including Argentina, Chile, Italy, Kenia, Kyrgyzstan, Bolivia, Nepal, and Tanzania. This research is crucial because it sheds light on the often-overlooked role of mountain women –not just as custodians of their communities but as key contributors to biodiversity, conservation, local economies, and cultural heritage.

“Yet their voices are rarely included in policy-making and development initiatives. By highlighting their stories, struggles, and contributions, this research advocates for greater recognition, resources, and representation for mountain women globally,” said Datoo.

Through this research, they presented a road map for the empowerment of mountain women, emphasising the need for inclusive policies, enhanced training and educational opportunities, and support for entrepreneurial ventures. By dismantling barriers to equality and amplifying the voices of these women, a more sustainable and inclusive future for mountainous regions can be fostered.

Though there is not a single definitive number of how many women live and work in mountainous areas, as these populations are spread across different continents, each with unique demographics, global estimates suggest that nearly 1 billion people live in mountain regions, with women comprising a significant percentage of this population. Many of these women engage in agriculture, conservation, tourism, and trade, often in conditions of economic hardship, climate vulnerability, and limited access to resources.

What the research found

“Our research revealed that mountain women are not just survivors of hardship – they are architects of resilience, community leaders, and powerful changemakers. Yet, they continue to face systemic barriers that limit their full potential.”

These women, Datoo continued, shoulder immense responsibilities – as caregivers, food providers, economic contributors, and protectors of cultural heritage – but often without recognition, resources, or decision-making power. Economic exclusion is a significant challenge as many mountain women engage in small-scale farming, trade, and artisanal crafts, yet they lack access to fair markets, financial support, or training opportunities to scale their work.

“Despite limited access to formal education or leadership roles, mountain women have built strong, self-sustaining networks – through women’s groups, cooperative savings, mentorship, and knowledge-sharing. Traditional gender roles and societal norms remain deeply entrenched. These women are not waiting for permission. Whether through grassroots organising, entrepreneurship, or informal leadership, mountain women are already driving change within their communities – often with little external support,” said Datoo.

“ We must take action to ensure that women in mountain communities have the resources, opportunities, and recognition they deserve for building a more inclusive and resilient future.

A world without mountain women

According to Datoo, the disappearance or displacement of mountain women would be nothing short of catastrophic – not just for their communities, but for the world. It would mean the loss of an entire ecosystem of knowledge, labour, culture, and resilience that sustains both people and nature.

Mountain women are the keepers of ancestral wisdom in sustainable farming, herbal medicine, textile-making, and survival skills. Without them, irreplaceable traditional knowledge would vanish. Without these women, entire communities would face financial ruin as they economic drivers – from handicrafts and farming to ecotourism and trade.

Simply put – mountain women are not just participants in their communities; they are the backbone. Their presence is not just beneficial – it is essential to the survival, sustainability, and future of mountain societies.

Challenges

According to Datoo, one key challenge was that many women, particularly from indigenous and rural communities, were accustomed to receiving immediate benefits in exchange for participation. Conducting these interviews required patience, cultural awareness, and a deep sense of respect.

Some of the key challenges included:

• Language Barriers – Many women spoke indigenous dialects, requiring trusted local interpreters to ensure clarity and accuracy.

• Geographical Access – Some communities were in remote, high-altitude areas, making travel and logistics physically demanding.

• Cultural Sensitivities – In certain societies, women are not traditionally encouraged to share their perspectives openly, so we had to create safe, trust-based environments for dialogue.

• Emotional Depth – Listening to their struggles – whether related to climate hardships, gender inequality, or economic marginalisation – was deeply moving and, at times, heartbreaking.

Action needed

These studies have provided critical insights into the lives of mountain women; however, research alone is not enough. With this research, we hope to ensure that mountain women are not overlooked but actively included in economic, environmental, and leadership policies at local, national, and global levels.

“We must take action to ensure that women in mountain communities have the resources, opportunities, and recognition they deserve for building a more inclusive and resilient future. Policies need to be strengthened, and women’s contributions recognised through land rights, financial inclusion, and gender-sensitive programmes.

“Women often serve as primary managers of resources, guardians of biodiversity, and custodians of traditional knowledge. However, entrenched discriminatory social norms continue to restrict their access to strategic resources, leadership roles, and equal opportunities, limiting their potential to act as economic agents and builders of resilience,” said Datoo.

Global challenges such as economic downturns, climate change, and the lingering effects of COVID-19 have further deepened their vulnerability. Without action, more women will be pushed out of mountain economies, further marginalising their essential contributions.

News Archive

Media: ANC can learn a lesson from Moshoeshoe

2006-05-20

27/05/2006 20:32 - (SA)
ANC can learn a lesson from Moshoeshoe
ON 2004, the University of the Free State turned 100 years old. As part of its centenary celebrations, the idea of the Moshoeshoe Memorial Lecture was mooted as part of another idea: to promote the study of the meaning of Moshoeshoe.

This lecture comes at a critical point in South Africa's still-new democracy. There are indications that the value of public engagement that Moshoeshoe prized highly through his lipitso [community gatherings], and now also a prized feature in our democracy, may be under serious threat. It is for this reason that I would like to dedicate this lecture to all those in our country and elsewhere who daily or weekly, or however frequently, have had the courage to express their considered opinions on pressing matters facing our society. They may be columnists, editors, commentators, artists of all kinds, academics and writers of letters to the editor, non-violent protesters with their placards and cartoonists who put a mirror in front of our eyes.

There is a remarkable story of how Moshoeshoe dealt with Mzilikazi, the aggressor who attacked Thaba Bosiu and failed. So when Mzilikazi retreated from Thaba Bosiu with a bruised ego after failing to take over the mountain, Moshoeshoe, in an unexpected turn of events, sent him cattle to return home bruised but grateful for the generosity of a victorious target of his aggression. At least he would not starve along the way. It was a devastating act of magnanimity which signalled a phenomenal role change.

"If only you had asked," Moshoeshoe seemed to be saying, "I could have given you some cattle. Have them anyway."

It was impossible for Mzilikazi not to have felt ashamed. At the same time, he could still present himself to his people as one who was so feared that even in defeat he was given cattle. At any rate, he never returned.

I look at our situation in South Africa and find that the wisdom of Moshoeshoe's method produced one of the defining moments that led to South Africa's momentous transition to democracy. Part of Nelson Mandela's legacy is precisely this: what I have called counter-intuitive leadership and the immense possibilities it offers for re-imagining whole societies.

A number of events in the past 12 months have made me wonder whether we are faced with a new situation that may have arisen. An increasing number of highly intelligent, sensitive and highly committed South Africans across the class, racial and cultural spectrum confess to feeling uncertain and vulnerable as never before since 1994. When indomitable optimists confess to having a sense of things unhinging, the misery of anxiety spreads. It must have something to do with an accumulation of events that convey the sense of impending implosion. It is the sense that events are spiralling out of control and no one among the leadership of the country seems to have a handle on things.

I should mention the one event that has dominated the national scene continuously for many months now. It is, of course, the trying events around the recent trial and acquittal of Jacob Zuma. The aftermath continues to dominate the news and public discourse. What, really, have we learnt or are learning from it all? It is probably too early to tell. Yet the drama seems far from over, promising to keep us all without relief, and in a state of anguish. It seems poised to reveal more faultlines in our national life than answers and solutions.

We need a mechanism that will affirm the different positions of the contestants validating their honesty in a way that will give the public confidence that real solutions are possible. It is this kind of openness, which never comes easily, that leads to breakthrough solutions, of the kind Moshoeshoe's wisdom symbolises.

Who will take this courageous step? What is clear is that a complex democracy like South Africa's cannot survive a single authority. Only multiple authorities within a constitutional framework have a real chance. I want to press this matter further.

Could it be that part of the problem is that we are unable to deal with the notion of "opposition". We are horrified that any of us could become "the opposition". In reality, it is time we began to anticipate the arrival of a moment when there was no longer a single [overwhelmingly] dominant political force as is currently the case. Such is the course of change. The measure of the maturity of the current political environment will be in how it can create conditions that anticipate that moment rather than ones that seek to prevent it. This is the formidable challenge of a popular post-apartheid political movement.

Can it conceptually anticipate a future when it is no longer overwhelmingly in control, in the form in which it currently is and resist, counter-intuitively, the temptation to prevent such an eventuality? Successfully resisting such an option would enable its current vision and its ultimate legacy to our country to manifest itself in different articulations of itself, which then contend for social influence.

In this way, the vision never really dies, it simply evolves into higher, more complex forms of itself. If the resulting versions are what is called "the opposition" that should not be such a bad thing - unless we want to invent another name for it. The image of flying ants going off to start other similar settlements is not so inappropriate.

I do not wish to suggest that the nuptial flights of the alliance partners are about to occur: only that it is a mark of leadership foresight to anticipate them conceptually. Any political movement that has visions of itself as a perpetual entity should look at the compelling evidence of history. Few have survived those defining moments when they should have been more elastic, and that because they were not, did not live to see the next day.

I believe we may have reached a moment not fundamentally different from the sobering, yet uplifting and vision-making, nation-building realities that led to Kempton Park in the early 1990s. The difference between then and now is that the black majority is not facing white compatriots across the negotiating table. Rather, it is facing itself: perhaps really for the first time since 1994. It is not a time for repeating old platitudes. Could we apply to ourselves the same degree of inventiveness and rigorous negotiation we displayed up to the adoption or our Constitution?

Morena Moshoeshoe faced similarly formative challenges. He seems to have been a great listener. No problem was too insignificant that it could not be addressed. He seems to have networked actively across the spectrum of society. He seems to have kept a close eye on the world beyond Lesotho, forming strong friendships and alliances, weighing his options constantly. He seems to have had patience and forbearance. He had tons of data before him before he could propose the unexpected. He tells us across the years that moments of renewal demand no less.

This is an editied version of the inaugural Moshoeshoe Memorial Lecture presented by Univeristy of Cape Town vice-chancellor Professor Ndebele at the University of the Free State on Thursday. Perspectives on Leadership Challenges In South Africa

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