Imagine being sent to work in the rainforest, in flip-flops, without shelter, mosquito repellent or drinking water. And imagine that your employer doesn't pay you at the end of the month even though you did a good job.
Doesn't exist? But. Far too often, in fact. Many game wardens around the world work under the most adverse conditions. Without adequate training, equipment or access to essentials such as medical care or communication options.
Why rangers are so important
I'm sure we can all agree on how important their work is. Rangers preserve the environment. They protect animal and plant species, remove snares, rescue injured animals and collect important data for species protection. They help local communities protect themselves from wildlife and fight wildfires. Rangers support tourism and thus local income opportunities. And they teach other people about nature conservation.
Rangers protect 15 percent of the land and seven percent of the water on our planet. 47 million square kilometers in total. In short: they are the backbone of preserving our biodiversity, ecosystems and natural resources and are therefore fundamentally indispensable for us and our planet.
Follow us on social media
More attention to their hard and often dangerous work is really important. In 2019 we published a survey of over 7,000 rangers from 28 countries. With striking results. In South Asia, almost one in two people on patrol have no access to communication options – although this can be life-saving in the event of serious injuries. More than half of those surveyed rarely or never have access to drinking water, and more than three quarters do not have mosquito nets. The rate of infectious diseases is correspondingly high: In Africa, more than two thirds of those surveyed had malaria in the last twelve months. Over 1,000 rangers have died doing their job in the last ten years. Becoming a victim of a crime is much more likely than being killed by wild animals, for example. But despite the dangerous work, less than half are covered in the event of death. Their families are left without supplies.
Together for the Rangers!
We from WWF want to change that. Together with seven other international organizations, such as the International Union for Conservation of Nature IUCNthe International Ranger Federation and Fauna & Flora International, we have the Universal Ranger Support Alliance URSA founded. We want more visibility and recognition, good working conditions, fair wages and insurance just in case. And we want to adopt a globally valid code of conduct. All of this is needed so that rangers can carry out their work safely, professionally and under appropriate conditions in the future. And these are also important prerequisites for being able to react correctly in tense and difficult situations and to resist corruption.
What we do
All of this requires systemic change. That's why it works URSA primarily at the political level. Because most game wardens are employed by their respective governments. We therefore have to persuade the decisive authorities to change something. In addition, we will from WWF Of course, we will continue to support rangers worldwide. Such as with essential equipment or training, as we recently did, for example, in the Lobéké National Park in Cameroon.
World Ranger Day only happens once a year. But perhaps we should give rangers much more appreciation for their hard work every day. They protect our planet. And ultimately work for all of us.
Don't miss anything with the WWF newsletter!
Follow us on social media:
