The Global Conservation Tech and Drone Forum (GCTDF) 2026 has announced a dedicated Women in Conservation Forum (WiCF) scheduled for Monday, March 2nd in Nairobi, bringing together female practitioners, researchers and policymakers from across Africa.
The initiative, supported by Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and Action Labs with funding from The Wildlife Society and Island Foundation, aims to amplify the critical role women play in conservation across Kenya and the continent. The forum forms part of the broader five-day GCTDF 2026 event running from March 2nd to 6th at venues in Nairobi and Konza Technopolis.
Women currently occupy frontline positions as community conservancy leaders, wildlife rangers, researchers and advocates throughout Kenya and Africa. Their perspectives remain essential for achieving effective and inclusive conservation outcomes, yet representation at decision-making levels continues lagging significantly behind male colleagues.
Arnolda Shiundu, Chair of Kenya Wildlife Trust, will deliver a keynote address at the forum. She emphasized the broader significance of women’s participation in leadership roles. The conference creates crucial space for female leadership voices that extend beyond conservation into wider societal issues, she noted.
The forum programme begins with mentorship workshops and concludes with networking opportunities through an evening cocktail reception. Conservation organizations including Mara Elephant Project, Connected Conservation Foundation and Leopard Ecology and Conservation have joined as partners. Technology allies wilddrone.eu and Nature Drones CiC will support the platform for peer learning and collaborative problem solving.
Macayle Rose Guerin, Lead Organiser of the forum, described the event as a catalyst for building stronger, more unified communities of practice among women in conservation. The initiative responds to growing recognition that isolated projects cannot address the scale of biodiversity loss facing Africa.
Jonty Slater, Co-Founder of GCTDF, stressed the need for coalitions to scale successful conservation approaches. The forum includes partnerships with drone and innovation organizations such as GIZ (Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit), Robonation, WeRobotics and Flying Labs. Kenya Flying Labs, the African Drone Forum, the Drone Association of Kenya and in-kind supporter Phantom Technologies have also joined the coalition.
David Guerin, Co-Founder of GCTDF, emphasized the importance of community-centered approaches to conservation technology. Technology proves only as powerful as the communities it serves, requiring a shift from merely deploying tools to genuinely empowering local stewards, he explained.
The broader GCTDF 2026 carries the theme “Technology in Service of Nature: Protecting Wildlife, Supporting People, Restoring Ecosystems” and will explore applications of drones, satellite sensors, artificial intelligence, geographic information systems (GIS) and data-driven tools in protecting biodiversity and restoring degraded ecosystems.
Statistics from Kenya Wildlife Conservancies Association (KWCA) reveal women comprise under 10 percent of conservancy membership across Kenya’s more than 160 conservancies. At management levels, women represent less than 5 percent of both conservancy managers and committee members, according to KWCA estimates.
The underrepresentation persists despite women’s critical dependence on conservancy land and resources for daily needs. Traditional land ownership patterns, where women typically do not own land upon which conservancy membership depends, contribute significantly to the disparity. Conservancy decision-making structures have historically entrenched these gender biases.
KWS will serve as the official conservation partner for GCTDF 2026, providing expert insights into Kenya’s ecosystems and conservation challenges. The partnership aligns with KWS’s 2024 to 2028 Strategic Plan, which prioritizes sustainable, inclusive and community-centered conservation approaches.
Through the collaboration, KWS will participate in live demonstrations of drone and data technologies for wildlife monitoring and anti-poaching surveillance. The Service plans to engage with global conservation technologists, policymakers and young innovators to advance ethical, scalable and inclusive conservation solutions while showcasing Kenya’s innovative natural resource management efforts.
Professional development workshops and networking sessions form key components of the Women in Conservation Forum agenda. The forum creates focused space for female practitioners to connect with policymakers, private-sector leaders and global partners working across conservation disciplines.
Research from the International Union for Conservation of Nature and the United Nations Environment Programme demonstrates that gender-inclusive conservation efforts produce better resource management outcomes and enhanced sustainability. Studies show that collaboration flourishes and conflicts find resolution more effectively when women participate in managing conservation programmes.
The Women in Conservation Forum registration and detailed programme information are available through the GCTDF website at www.gctdf.org. The event expects to attract participants from across Africa and beyond, reinforcing Kenya’s position at the forefront of conservation innovation on the continent.
