Conservation organizations across the board are focusing on women with programs that attempt to achieve social and environmental change in one fell swoop.A small subset of these organizations uses the prospect of financial freedom to encourage women to participate in projects that benefit the environment.But outcomes are difficult to measure and research into whether the approach actually works is hard to come by, leaving experts to rely more on instinct than hard evidence in evaluating them. Traditional gender roles in the global south often involve men taking charge. So perhaps historic conservation efforts can be forgiven for neglecting an entire gender in looking to men as the decision makers and users of natural resources. But times are changing. Conservation organizations across the board are focusing on women with programs that attempt to achieve social and environmental change in one fell swoop. This gender-aware approach is already producing encouraging results for conservation, particularly with projects that include women in resource and environmental management decisions. But empowerment comes in many forms. A small subset of these organizations uses the prospect of financial freedom to encourage women to participate in projects that benefit the environment. The approach has generated interest and momentum — but very little evidence that it actually works. Most conservation organizations will say they are involved in projects that integrate women’s economic empowerment, David Wilkie, Director of Conservation Measures at the New York-based Wildlife Conservation Society, told Mongabay. But, he said, “the evidence base that they are actually doing anything, and that it is making a difference is sparse to say the least.” “I would say that in many cases this is aspirational rather than operational,” he added.