Women are key custodians of biodiversity. COP16 could help strengthen their against-the-odds efforts

Highlights

• Grassroots women organizations worldwide are exemplary custodians of biodiversity
• But power inequalities still prevent women from being meaningfully represented in the decision-making processes that define their rights, responsibilities, and access to the benefits of biodiversity
• The 196 country members at the Convention on Biological Diversity meeting Colombia can halt and reverse biodiversity’s global decline through greater inclusion of women