Celebrating World Ranger Day!
Photo ©Paul Hilton
Today, we celebrate World Ranger Day, but we also lament those rangers who have given their lives in service to protect our wild places and animals.
Rangers are the first in the line of defense for wildlife and natural areas, taking on life-threatening situations caused by poachers, pirates, syndicate and cartel members, and more. Land or water, Rangers are a crucial part of our work, and we honor them.
On this day, we stop to honor all the rangers who have given their lives in service. Today, I’m sorry to inform you that between June 2023 and May 2024, another 140 rangers in 37 nations have passed away while at work. The International Ranger Federation has noted over 1300 rangers on its Roll of Honor in just the past ten years alone. Among those, funded and trained by Global Conservation.
37 countries reported deaths; Asia accounted for a significantly high proportion (74 deaths, including 43 in India) and Africa accounted for 42 deaths across 17 countries. Most countries have sadly recorded several deaths, and accidents account for a third of all ranger casualties. These include drownings and firefighting-related deaths.
The famous all-female team of rangers in Zimbabwe, led by Damien Mander, have seen great success in making arrests without firing a single shot.
Global Conservation’s Global Park Defense model is based around funding these incredible rangers to protect “paper parks,” National Parks and UNESCO World Heritage Sites that have little to no actual protection to begin with. GC then enables the protection of parks through ranger trainings, cutting-edge technologies, and useful gear to keep themselves and the areas they protect safe. Meaning, without them, GC would not be able to exist.
Worldwide conservation targets cannot be achieved without adequately resourced and trained rangers. Supporting their success is a key part of our proven methodology with Global Park Defense.
Common worldwide, snare traps are one of the biggest challenges for nearly every ranger on land. Photo ©Andrea Pistolesi
Despite the challenges, rangers are more willing than ever to stop poaching, protect wildlife, and take on the other challenges that turn to face them on a daily basis. Better training techniques, technologies, and resources are progressing in leaps every year, which also drives inspiration for many to fight against the destruction of nature.
A lone ranger near the Ngorongoro are in Tanzania watch over farmers crops, the local people, and the wildlife. Photo ©Joshua Asel