Yolanda Kakabadse

President of the Board

Yolanda Kakabadse is a veteran of the environmental movement in Ecuador and internationally. She joined the Board of the Charles Darwin Foundation in April 2022 and became its President in October 2022. An Ecuadorian citizen, Yolanda was the first Executive Director of Fundación Natura in Quito (1979 to 1990). From 1990 to 1992, Yolanda coordinated the participation of civil society organizations in the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (Earth Summit) in Geneva. In 1993, she created Fundación Futuro Latinoamericano (FFLA), where she served as president until 2006 and continues to serve as president of the Advisory Council. From August 1998 to January 2000, she served as Minister of Environment in the government of Ecuador. From 1996 to 2004, she was President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). She chaired the Scientific and Technical Advisory Panel of the Global Environment Facility from 2005 to 2008. In addition, from 2010 to 2017 she was chair of the World Wildlife Fund (WWF). She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Lighthouse Group, chairs Diálogos Vitales and the Red Cross Climate Center.