UNOC 2025: Peruvian women share their experiences in marine conservation and sustainable fishing

Peruvian women leaders from the fishing and marine conservation sectors attended the side event “Women to the Sea: Strengthening Leadership for Our Oceans,” held in Nice, France, as part of the 3rd United Nations Ocean Conference.

This meeting, held on Tuesday, June 10, sought to recognize the invaluable contribution of Peruvian women to marine conservation and the sustainability of artisanal fisheries, because although women actively participate in these activities, their stories remain invisible due to the lack of dissemination and recording of their work. This event helped to highlight their contributions and promote fair recognition of their role in marine conservation and the sustainable development of Peruvian coastal communities.

Through the testimonies of Edilberta Rubiños, representative of Productos Hidrobiológicos Rubí del Mar, from Ancón; Paola Luyo, specialist at the National Service of Natural Areas Protected by the State in the San Fernando National Reserve, from Ica; and Carolina Butrich, manager of Conservamos por Naturaleza, an initiative of the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law, it was possible to learn about the direct contributions to the protection and conservation of the marine ecosystem, demonstrating the integral role that women play in coastal life and in activities related to the sea.

Photo: Jorge Pezantes / SPDA

Edilberta “Rubí” Rubiños owns a boat and has a fish and seafood marketing business called “Productos Hidrobiológicos Rubí del Mar” in Ancón, Lima. Rubí recounted how, from a very young age, she felt a connection to the sea, which led her to work her entire life in the fishing industry. “When I bought the boat, it was very hard. I didn't know anything about fishing. In Peru, when you talk about fishing, you know it's a male-dominated sector. It was very difficult for a woman to enter the world of fishing. Little by little, I learned, and now [my company] sells to Peruvian supermarkets and soup kitchens.”

Paola Luyo, a specialist at the San Fernando National Reserve, said that her involvement in conservation began more than 12 years ago when she first arrived at this nature reserve. Paola is a biologist by profession and said that she faced various challenges when she joined the reserve as a volunteer park ranger, as she had to work with fishing communities and organizations that are generally made up of men. “I have been working in San Fernando for 12 years and only recently, a year ago, did I get two female park ranger colleagues,” she said.

Carolina Butrich, who leads Conservamos por Naturaleza (We Conserve for Nature), an initiative of the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA) that was created to support voluntary conservation initiatives and to involve more people in strategic conservation actions. Through her HAZla por tu Ola (Do it for your Wave) campaign, she contributed to the legal protection of 47 Peruvian surf breaks. Carolina said that she had a connection with the sea from a very young age, which led her to practice windsurfing at a professional level and represent Peru in various competitions. “From my personal experience, when I started windsurfing, I was the first woman in Peru to practice this sport. Even today, 20 years later, I am still one of the few women when I go to practice the sport. And that must change, not only in sports, but also when you go fishing, when you want to lead an initiative, we must be able to build spaces that allow women to participate, freely and without prejudice.”

Photo: Jorge Pezantes / SPDA

Rubí, Paola, and Carolina are part of “Mujeres a la Mar” (Women at Sea), an initiative promoted by the SPDA in strategic alliance with eight local organizations that collaborate closely with coastal communities in various regions of Peru. Through this initiative, women leaders in the sector can share their experiences, strengthen their capacities, and develop proposals to promote gender equality in marine conservation, generating a positive impact on their communities and on society's perception of the role of women in these areas.
This event, organized by the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law (SPDA) and The Nature Conservancy Peru, allowed them to share not only the challenges they face but also to propose solutions that promote the participation of more women in the artisanal fishing sector and marine conservation.

“As women, we are not recognized, nor do we have insurance. We need technical training to be able to add value to our products and reach more markets. We don't have a laboratory for artisanal fishing and we can't process our products like large companies,” said Rubí, who has encountered difficulties in distributing her products in larger markets.

Paola pointed out the importance of promoting the participation of more women in conservation, as well as the importance of ongoing training. “We need to strengthen our technical, scientific, and training capacities in order to provide greater opportunities for women. We also need to increase the number of women participating in the management of marine protected areas.”

Carolina said that working to protect waves has given her the opportunity to work with fishing communities and, along the way, she has encountered significant barriers for women involved in the sea, sports, science, and leadership. "Women's contributions are at all levels, and we must learn to recognize them. I think it is important that strategies are designed by and for us. It is urgent to break down these barriers that limit women's access. If we do not design strategies and policies with a gender focus, these inequalities will continue to exist, these gaps that distance us from the sea and from the decisions that affect it," she said.

This event was held as part of the “Mujeres a la mar” (Women to the Sea) campaign, an initiative of the Peruvian Society for Environmental Law that seeks to highlight and strengthen the work of women in artisanal fishing and marine conservation by recognizing women who dedicate their lives to protecting the Peruvian sea, whose work is essential to building a more sustainable future for our oceans.

Photo: Jorge Pezantes / SPDA