ERF Newsletter March 25

Dear European rangers,

How can human needs and protecting our remaining natural heritage be harmonised? This is not only a question we are addressing with the theme of our 6th European Ranger Congress in cooperation with the Romanian Ranger Association and the Foundation Conservation Carpathia in October this year. Building a bridge between local communities and nature conservation is what rangers do every day all over the world.

Especially in the protected areas, which are located in densely populated areas. Like the Donau-Auen National Park in Austria. We spoke to one of its rangers about working with Junior Rangers and adult volunteers. Read how he and his fellow rangers are helping to change the attitude of locals towards the protected area – away from simply seeing prohibitions towards a desire to help protect this natural treasure on their doorstep.



We would love as many of you as possible to share these and many other experiences and skills of yours to better protect nature by involving locals at our Congress. Exactly this is the aim of our 6th ERC Ranger Coin. Want to own this limited edition souvenir and help support rangers lacking financial means to attend? Click the coins above!

Also our first Ranger Videos following our call are about balancing human interests and nature protection. Two female rangers open our series by sharing their work in the quite contrasting habitats of Peak District, UK, and Negev Desert, Israel. Let them inspire you to send in your own ranger video – see our call for entries below.

Even more contrasting experiences label our Training Officer's trip to Thailand. Read what learnings he brought back about highly qualified Thai rangers in some of the impressive number of 150 national parks. Also inspiring: the significant share of female rangers – while still being underrepresented in most parts of Europe. Two European rangers shared what it's like to be #WomenInConservation in videos for International Women's Day.
  
Happy reading to you all!

Urs Reif, President of the ERF

How rangers integrate locals into conservation

They protect one of the largest remaining floodplains of the Danube in Central Europe and involve the local communities through junior ranger programmes and volunteer work. The rangers in the Austrian Donau-Auen National Park are thus helping to ensure that the communities around the protected area are no longer sceptical, only seeing all the rules and prohibitions. They increasingly appreciate the natural treasure on their doorstep and want to contribute to its protection. Ranger Christian Raffetseder shares his work with Junior Rangers & adults and reveals the most rewarding moments.

Female rangers kick off Ranger Video series

The habitats they protect couldn't be more different. But in their work, the two rangers who are starting our Ranger Video series face very similar challenges: to reconcile human interests and the protection of sensitive ecosystems on a daily basis. In the densely populated regions of many of our members' protected areas, this is one of the most important tasks of rangers. To involve people again and again in nature conservation and its rules, to explain their meaning, but above all to show them how they can fulfil their legitimate interests in recreation, income and more in line with nature protection. See what Harriet Saltis, UK, and Daniel Shermer, Israel, have to say about their work - and send us your Ranger Video (see events below)!

Strengthening ranger ties in Thailand

When rangers are travelling, they are sometimes magically drawn to other rangers and national parks. And thus tread another path to learn from each other. Just like our Training Officer Borja Díaz during his recent trip to seven national parks in Thailand. Deeply impressed by the biodiversity, conservation management and ranger knowledge, he returned with a reinforced conviction of how crucial strengthening ranger ties around the world is. Read where he identified valuable topics and expertise of Thai rangers for future cooperation and learning from each other.

Women in Conservation – two rangers report

On International Women's Day, we wanted to find out how female rangers are doing as women in conservation, what motivates them and what challenges they face. Margaux Pierrel, ranger in Ireland, and Silva Lanfranchi, ranger in Switzerland, told us. Some of their experiences are probably representative of many of their female colleagues in Europe and around the world. See how women in nature conservation still have to give a little more.

Events
 
 

Submit your Ranger Video!

Giving Europe’s rangers a face and a voice: that’s what we, together with the TGLF UK and our member, the CMA, want to push with this call for ranger videos!

And for this we need you: Send us a video recorded with mobile phone that we can share on our channels. In it you should answer these questions:

  • What is your name, country and the protected or natural area you work in?
  • What is most special feature / natural heritage / species / habitat of the landscape you are protecting?
  • Which is your biggest challenge as a ranger?

Requirements
Please stand in front of your mobile camera and read the questions out loud before answering them. Make sure that no background noises such as wind or water noise interfere with the sound.
The video should not be longer than 2 minutes in total and should be recorded in landscape format.

Deadline & Transfer
We kindly ask you to submit your videos until 11 April 2025 (prolonged deadline!) by using this upload link, adding it to our Drive-Folder or sending a download link to press@europeanrangers.org.

Please share largely 📢
 
 

6th European Ranger Congress

Please note: Detailed information about all you need to know for the 6th European Ranger Congress & registration will follow in the beginning of April with the launch of the congress website.

This ERC will be held in cooperation with the Romanian Ranger Association and Foundation Conservation Carpathia:

  • from 6 to 10 October 2025
  • in Brașov County, Romania, in immediate vicinity of Piatra Craiului National Park
  • on the topic
    'Rangers – the Voice of Nature
    Building a Bridge between Local Communities and Nature Conservation'
Buy a 6th ERC Ranger Coin to help rangers:
To help us helping as many rangers as possible to attend, see how you can buy a memory of the 6th ERC while at the same time supporting fellow rangers with the 6th ERC Ranger Coin.

Amendments to ERF statutes:
We invite all our members to submit proposals for changes of the ERF Statutes to the ERC General Assembly. Please send your proposals to admin@europeanrangers.org

6th European Ranger Congress Declaration:
We are starting to draft the declaration for the ERC 2025. Ideas and input or requests for collaboration can be sent to vicepresident@europeanrangers.org
 

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European Ranger Federation
Urs Reif
President
Kienbächleweg 8
72270 Baiersbronn
Deutschland

Wiebke Bomas
Press Contact
press@europeanrangers.org
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