Rewilding thrives on diverse perspectives, dedication, and motivation – qualities found in all our teams. This International Women’s Day, we speak to the female leaders accelerating action in our landscapes to find out more about their passions, beliefs, and commitment to making Europe a wilder place.
An essential role
People of all backgrounds and nationalities play a hugely important role at Rewilding Europe, both at a central level and across our landscape teams. Every single person provides invaluable expertise, insight, and governance on a daily basis as we work to advance the rewilding movement, scale up impact, and realise our vision.
With the campaign theme “accelerating action”, this year’s International Women’s Day will be marked by millions of people across the world tomorrow. As such, now is the perfect time to celebrate the efforts of our female landscape leaders, of which five currently head up our operations in Romania (Danube Delta and Southern Carpathians, Scotland (Affric Highlands), Croatia (Velebit Mountains), and Bulgaria (Rhodope Mountains). Each with very different career paths and personal stories, they are united by a passion for nature, dedication to rewilding, and a drive to accelerate rewilding action in ways that benefit both nature and people.
The call of the wild
Stephanie Kiel became Executive Director at Rewilding Affric Highlands in Scotland in January this year, having previously worked as the Affric Highlands team Leader since November 2021.
“My passion and love for ecology and all the natural wonders around us has driven me all my life, but I fell in love with rewilding when I borrowed the book “Feral” by George Monbiot from a friend,” she explains. “Reading it, I felt something fall into place in my head. I already had an appreciation of everything that he was writing about, but I hadn’t been able to connect the dots.
“The thing that primarily motivates me in my job is the feeling that what we are doing is important – for us as people and the planet we live on. I find the thought that we are inspiring other people through our work extremely rewarding.”
Ady Trifonova has been the Rewilding Rhodopes team leader for three years. She has always had an intimate connection with her local rewilding landscape, which is located in southern Bulgaria.
“I grew up here and always knew that I wanted to lead a life that was in harmony with wild nature,” she explains. “For me, rewilding is not just a career, it’s a way of life. To witness the positive impact of our interventions in the landscape – to see natural processes such as natural grazing and scavenging reinvigorated and wildlife species of all descriptions returning – never fails to energise me.”
Making conservation more successful
The “accelerate action” campaign theme for this year’s International Women’s Day resonates well with the role women already play as they work to change the trajectory of conservation and rewilding. From contributing ground-breaking research, to upholding traditional local knowledge, to driving efforts on the ground that deliver tangible results, research shows that conservation initiatives achieve better results when they involve women in decision-making processes.
“I think women have incredible leadership abilities and natural skills to gain the trust of people and build strong teams,” says Marina Drugă, the Executive Director of Rewilding Romania. “For me leadership is about having confidence in your team, about the responsibilities you choose to take on, and about accepting that failure is yours as a team leader, but that achievements belong to your team.”
Women often bring unique insights into community dynamics, social challenges, and transparent, equitable, and collaborative approaches that are essential for effective conservation.
“Identifying and acting on solutions in conservation often requires creativity and adaptability,” says Ioana-Cătălina Petrencu, who heads up the Danube Delta rewilding team on the Romanian side. “I firmly believe that leadership diversity increases the probability that conservation outcomes will be holistic and successful.”
Overcoming challenges
While every country and conservation initiative is different, women in conservation frequently face extra hurdles and challenges compared to their male counterparts. They often experience obstacles such as gender bias, discrimination, harassment, inequity in pay, cultural constraints, and sometimes even violence.
“In the Rhodopes, and in Bulgaria in general, the conservation and forestry sectors are often thought of as a man’s world,” says Ady Trifonova. “There have been cases where, especially at the beginning of potential partnerships, female leaders are looked down upon. After they have been involved in discussions and decision making, however, attitudes tend to change and these women gain support, respect, and admiration.”
“Many women, including myself, are less forceful and competitive than their male peers,” says Stephanie Kiel. “This means we’re not as aggressive when it comes to pushing for promotions and higher salaries. And if we do decide to have families, it can be extremely challenging bringing up children and working in conservation, especially in leadership roles. Having said that, I’m already working with a small number of women in leadership positions across the north of Scotland, and I hope that it will become easier for women to become both mothers and leaders if they wish, rather than feeling they have to choose one or the other.”
Marija Krnjajić, the team leader of Rewilding Velebit in Croatia, says the challenges she has faced have helped her grow as a person.
“My involvement with rewilding has enabled me to cope more easily with unfamiliar and intimidating situations, and strengthened my belief that hard work will always lead to success. I understand the value of cooperation far more these days. I would advise all women in conservation to nourish their natural authenticity and trust that thinking outside the box will help them to find creative ways to solve problems. There are things in life worth taking risks for, and one of those things for me is rewilding.”
Champions of change
While many of Rewilding Europe’s female landscape leaders list iconic women such as British primatologist Jane Goodall and American conservationist Kris Tompkins as personal heroes,
Ioana-Cătălina Petrencu takes inspiration from every woman working in the conservation sector.
“They show how passion, perseverance, and dedication to the environment can bring about real change, even when faced with personal, political, or societal barriers. Their work demonstrates that conservation leadership is not just about having a seat at the table. Sometimes it means changing the table itself.
“My advice to women looking to pursue roles in conservation and rewilding is to be passionate, patient, persistent, and confident. Women have the potential to contribute in unique and powerful ways and there are endless opportunities to have a meaningful impact. Just get involved and keep going!”