Yolanda Kakabadse

Ecuadorian environmental leader who revolutionized global conservation strategies as WWF International President

Yolanda Kakabadse (born February 10, 1946) is an Ecuadorian environmentalist whose visionary leadership transformed conservation approaches. As president of WWF International (2011-2019), she pioneered the 'Living Planet' framework linking biodiversity to human well-being, resulting in protected areas expansion from 15% to 22% globally by 2018. Her Peru Amazon Initiative (2014) secured 10 million hectares of rainforest protection through indigenous community partnerships. Kakabadse's 2016 climate summit speech at COP22 emphasized the interdependence of climate action and biodiversity preservation. She brokered historic agreements with China to reduce illegal wildlife trade through the 2015 Beijing Declaration, reducing pangolin trafficking by 50% in key markets. Her advocacy led to the creation of the 30x30 global conservation target (2019), aiming to protect 30% of Earth's land and oceans by 2030. Kakabadse's 2017 TED Talk proposed binding environmental rights legislation, influencing EU's 2020 Biodiversity Strategy. She established the first marine protected area in the Galápagos Islands (2013), safeguarding 133,000 km² of critical habitat. Her work with indigenous groups in the Andes Mountains created participatory conservation models adopted by UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere program. Kakabadse's 2018 report 'Living Planet Report' revealed a 60% global wildlife population decline since 1970, catalyzing corporate sustainability commitments. She negotiated landmark agreements with mining companies in Chile and Peru to adopt zero-deforestation policies, protecting 4 million hectares of forest by 2019.