Rangers play a critical role in conserving protected areas and the diversity of life they support. Without these environmental defenders, we would see more deforestation, biodiversity loss and degradation of life-sustaining ecosystem functions. Responsible rangers also help safeguard the rights of people whose lives and cultures are inseparable from nature. Rangers are women, men, government staff, community members, landowners, indigenous peoples, volunteers and many more. Their work varies widely, both in scope and complexity: combating poaching and land grabbing, guiding tourists, fighting fires, providing an early warning system for threats and problems, collecting scientific data, and turning our conservation hopes into real change. In these ways, a healthy future for people depends on rangers, who can be viewed as the first responders of the planetary health service.
Yayasan Badak Indonesia (YABI) rangers, in Ujung Kulon National Park, Indonesia. (Photo by James Slade, Global Wildlife Conservation)
The Universal Ranger Support Alliance (URSA)
At the International Ranger Federation (IRF)’s 2019 World Congress in Chitwan, Nepal, more than 550 Rangers from 70 countries agreed to the Chitwan Declaration, which sets out a detailed list of needs and priorities for rangers.
In response, GWC, together with FFI, Force for Nature, IRF, Panthera, WCPA, WWF and ZSL, have formed the Universal Ranger Support Alliance (URSA) to help implement many of the actions called for in the Declaration and catalyze real change for rangers by 2025. URSA’s founding members share a vision of a healthy, thriving natural world, and an understanding that this cannot be achieved without taking the necessary steps to bring about positive and lasting change for rangers worldwide.
Rangers at DRC’s Virunga National Park. (Photo courtesy of Virunga National Park)
URSA has developed a global action plan that can help all those working with rangers support them to do their jobs effectively and responsibly. By ensuring that the urgently needed investment, tools, systems, reforms, checks and balances, and policy changes are put in place, the Alliance’s purpose is to improve the well-being and professionalization of rangers and in doing so support local communities with whom their work is intrinsically linked and, in turn, the planet. Specifically, URSA aims to enable and advocate for better training, support, safety, and equality for rangers, as well as a greater recognition of the critical value of their work.
The plan includes a wide range of measures across five main areas:
- Advocacy and Representation: Raising the profile of the ranger by increasing the number of countries that officially recognize ‘ranger’ as an occupation, strengthening the International Ranger Federation as the global representative body of rangers everywhere, and establishing more international, national and regional ranger associations while expanding and empowering for those that already in operation.
- Ranger Sector Capacity: Ensuring rangers have accessible, high-standard training and learning opportunities, recognized workplace standards and competences, and the equipment required to do their vital work.
- Employment and Welfare: Improving working and employment conditions for rangers, from adequate pay and benefits, to accessible clean water, quality life insurance, and mental and physical health care.
- Equality, Equity and Stewardship: Making the ranger occupation more accessible to women and other under under-represented groups through improved policies, practices, opportunities, and workplace support and safety. This includes enabling members of Indigenous Peoples and local communities (IPLCs) to join ranger units or establish their own teams while sustaining their traditional and cultural practices.
- Ethics, Conduct and Accountability: Promoting the traditional custodianship of the environment and the conservation efforts of IPLCs while increasing collaboration, safeguards, communication and trust between IPLCs and rangers. Reinforcing the professional image of rangers through the development of a global code of conduct to build trust, ensure accountability and protect the rights of all peoples, including the rangers.
As a founder member of URSA, GWC is collaborating with URSA’s global network of organizations and ranger federations to ensure rangers are able to work effectively as custodians of biodiversity, supporting the life systems upon which we all depend. On behalf of rangers and as part of URSA, we’re advocating globally and regionally, expanding our national-level engagement; and aligning our ranger work and Guardian focal area with URSA’s goals.
Site-level support
GWC’s Guardian focal area supports rangers at our project sites in Asia, Africa, the Caribbean, Central and South America. We’re continuing to conduct regular assessments of ranger working conditions, which helps us provide expert technical advice specific to the site to help improve both those conditions and performance. We contribute training, equipment and infrastructure essential for a safe and healthy working environment and assist in establishing protection, security and safety protocols.
Emberá community rangers in Pijibasal, Panama (working with Yaguará Panama). (Photo by Chris Jordan, Global Wildlife Conservation)
At these sites, we are:
- Building capacity and assisting with the strategic planning for rangers in Mts. Iglit-Baco National Park and the Tamaraw Conservation Program’s rangers in the Philippines,
- Assisting for Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority rangers in the Lower Zambezi Valley with logistics and technical support,
- Building and training an indigenous ranger force to protect the Indio Maíz Biological Reserve in Nicaragua,
- Contributing emergency assistance for rangers dealing with natural disasters such as the tsunamis in Indonesia, hurricanes in the Caribbean and, globally, the COVID-19 pandemic,
- Continuing to provide training, support and mentorship for SMART conservation software in more than 15 countries.
(Top photo: Rangers paddling down a river at night in search of Javan Rhino in Ujung Kulon National Park, Java. Photo by Robin Moore, Global Wildlife Conservation)
