Indigenous women and conservation: Views from Immaculata Casimero, Aishalton Village, Guyana

Immaculata Casimero is from Aishalton Village in the South Rupununi region in Guyana. She is a representative of the South Rupununi District Council (SRDC) and women's rights activist. This interview was conducted during the Rupununi Indigenous Women's Conference held in early January 2020. This was first Indigenous Women's Conference in the Rupununi and was co-organized and hosted by two community based organisations in the Rupununi -- the North Rupununi District Development Board (NRDDB) and the South-Central Peoples Development Association (SCPDA)/South Rupununi District Development Board (SRDC) -- with support form WWF Guianas and IUCN Gender Team through the Shared Resources, Joint Solutions (SRJS) programme.

SRJS is a 5-year partnership with the Dutch National Committee of IUCN, WWF Netherlands, and the Netherlands Ministry of Foreign Affairs, with technical support from IUCN programmes and offices. SRJS is an expansive program that engages 16 countries across 9 regions to protect water and food security and climate resilience through a balance of short- and long-term social, economic and sustainability interests from civil society, governments and businesses. Gender equality and inclusivity principles are key, cross-cutting goals of the SRJS program.