GESG Rangers at work after the recent wildfires in the cloud forests of Sierra Gorda, Mexico. Credit: Roberto Pedraza Ruiz
The important conservation work that WLT supports could not happen without rangers, the committed and passionate men and women working tirelessly to protect reserves and keep nature safe.
Every year on 31 July, the world comes together to celebrate World Ranger Day and recognise the incredible work being done by rangers across the globe. This year is no exception… With World Ranger Day 2024 now quickly approaching, we want to say a huge thank you to the rangers and community patrollers in our partner reserves, and what’s more, we want to share their incredible work with all of you.
Celebrate World Ranger Day with WLT
This year we’ve asked rangers working for our partner organisations to share a piece of their everyday lives with us, by providing video clips following their daily routines and tasks, sharing favourite species, and explaining what being a ranger means for them. This is so we can take you, our supporters, into the heart of reserves in Mexico, Armenia, India, and many more.
With the wonderful footage provided by rangers, we’ve created a series of video content which we are sharing on our social media channels in the build-up to World Ranger Day. Make sure to check in on our socials from now up until Wednesday 31 July to meet the rangers and follow along with their stories.
Ranger Juan Macías setting up a camera trap in Colombia’s Guanacas Reserve. Credit: Andrea Ferreira.
On the day itself, we are also hosting live video chats on Instagram with two of our partner organisations. This is a wonderful opportunity to ask questions and learn more about the vital work rangers are undertaking right now to protect threatened wildlife and habitats. Join us at 12pm on Wednesday 31 July as we chat with our partner FPWC about the rangers in Armenia’s Caucasus Wildlife Refuge, and then again at 3pm to catch up with GESG in the Sierra Gorda Biosphere Reserve in Mexico.
The importance of Rangers
Rangers are invaluable to conservation. The local people employed by our partners are essential to the day-to-day protection of both land and wildlife, and their responsibilities are certainly varied.
Every day in a reserve is different and being a ranger is a demanding job, which can often swing very quickly from moments of joy to severe challenges. Typical tasks for our rangers could involve patrolling reserves, monitoring species and camera traps, working with local communities, tackling wildfires, and safeguarding against human threats and illegal activity such as hunting.
Wild Tomorrow rangers removing old fence-line wire that could potentially be used for snares. Credit: Chantelle Meltzer.
These responsibilities play a huge role in the ongoing story of conservation which often takes place out of sight after land has been secured. But the fantastic achievements of our partners wouldn’t be possible without the dedication of rangers and community patrollers.
Despite the challenges, our rangers’ love for their role and the natural world is always evident. As summed up by Jhalak Rai, Forest Ranger with our partner KTK-Belt in Nepal: “Growing up in a village surrounded by nature, I cherish working closely with it as a forest guardian. Collaborating with local communities in conservation efforts is truly fulfilling.”
Similarly, a lasting devotion to nature can be felt in abundance when hearing from Cristian Andrés Vázquez Bermúdez, a ranger with Fundación ProAves in Colombia. Speaking of his 11 years as a ranger, he says, “I am happy with what I do. In these 11 years, I have definitely fallen in love with conservation. Every day I fall more in love with seeing these results and the work we do caring for the wildlife of our country.”
Fundación Proyecto Tití rangers taking part in tree planting activities. Credit: Fundación Proyecto Tití (FPT)
We hope you’ll join us in celebrating the fantastic rangers in our partner reserves across the globe this World Ranger Day. Make sure to follow us on social media to stay up to date with our World Ranger Day 2024 content and tune in on Wednesday 31 July for our live chats with FPWC and GESG.
If you’d like to support the work of rangers, you can donate to our Keepers of the Wild programme.
