Yara LOURENCO

Yara Fernandes Lourenço is the Global Gender Equity Analyst for Africa at The Nature Conservancy (TNC). A social scientist and evaluator with over 22 years of experience across Africa, she leads efforts to integrate gender equity, human rights, and socio-economic empowerment into conservation strategies. Yara has championed women-led cooperatives in Angola’s forests, strengthened women’s networks across Southern Africa, and advanced inclusive conservation initiatives throughout Sub-Saharan Africa. She also serves as a diplomat for the Global Women in Water Diplomacy Network, amplifying women’s leadership in transboundary water governance. She is passionate about shifting systems so that women’s voice, agency, and power are recognized as central to building resilient ecosystems and equitable futures.