ERF Newsletter April 25

Dear European rangers,

This month we celebrated a first milestone on the way to our high time event 2025: the launch of our official European Ranger Congress website. Developed and designed by our organisational partner, the Foundation Conservation Carpathia, it offers everything you need to know about 6th ERC. And of course you can book your spot for this international ranger highlight: Register now!

Also in April, we present how rangers live the theme of the 6th ERC, ‘Building a Bridge between Local Communities and Conservation’.




Our ‘Two Rangers, Two Projects’ format shows the work of rangers in Hungary and Slovenia for acceptance, support and integration of locals, be it in the first Hungarian rewilding project for bison or for surveillance work in the Julian Alps. 

But what if people get too enthusiastic about protected areas? Rangers in tourist areas know a thing or two about balancing visitors' nature experience with the needs of nature. A delegation from our board has just visited our sponsoring partner that offers treetop walks as a solution for both: Experiencing nature from root to canopy and channelling the visitor flow. See the intriguing ideas they brought back on how to combine ranger support and skills with treetop walks in a way that serves rangers and the Erlebnisakademie AG. 

Also our further board is busy in all directions. While our Vice President just presented on ‘Enforcement and filing claims with the help of DNA’ in anti-poaching at the international ‘Natural Traces and Forensic Sciences’ conference in Prague, our Training Officer organised a drone training for Brazilian rangers with their association – more soon!

Already live: our ranger videos, this month from Ukraine, Israel and Czech Republic. Hear how despite the thousands of kilometers distance and partly exceptional circumstances they are dealing with exactly the same challenges: bridging human interest and nature protection.

You want Rangers to come together not just on screen, but live? Then be quick and buy a 6th ERC Ranger Coin to enable rangers with limited financial means to join ERC. Production is ready to start – details below!

Enjoy the read

Urs Reif, President of the ERF

How locals' acceptance supports ranger work

Mihály Tóth and Žiga Marenk need the locals on their side. Mihály, from Őrség National Park, is the ranger in charge of the first bison rewilding project in Hungary, helping to attract tourists through bison safaris and thus open up new sources of income for local communities. Žiga works closely with the locals in Slovenia's Triglav National Park to sensitise them to the rules and help to abide by them. In return, he receives not only trust, but also information about conspicuous activities in his ranger area. How local support for the rangers‘ work is the best way to achieve effective nature conservation: Read our “Two Rangers, Two Projects” format for two more examples of how important the rangers’ work is in building bridges between local communities and nature conservation.

Thousands of kilometres apart, one joint challenge

Hear from chief ranger Denys Artemenko how the rangers in the Ukrainian National Nature Park Desniansko Starohutskyi continue their duties and dedication to conservation despite constant threats such as unexploded ordnance, constant shelling of park infrastructure and additional missions to safeguard people’s lives and park property. On top they deal with exactly the same challenge like Jana Javorská and Ofir Bruckenstein thousands of kilometres away in Beskydy Protected Area Landscape, Czechia, and in the Western Negev, Israel: protecting nature in the long-term conflicts between humans and nature and from ever increasing urbanisation pressure.

Stronger together: ERF visits treetop walk partner

The Erlebnis Akademie AG (EAK) from Bavaria has already helped us a great deal with financing the participation of rangers at the World Ranger Congress and the participation of Moldovan volunteer rangers at a Junior Ranger camp in Czech Republic. Now a delegation of our board visited our partner to see how rangers‘ deep experience in environmental education and re-connecting people with nature could be linked systematically with EAK’s treetop walks. ERF Secretary Maria Gurscaia, ERF Treasurer & Coordinator for the European Ranger Congress 2025 Michael Großmann and ERF Administrative Officer & IRF European Representative Lars Scharfe returned with an impressive package of ideas about how to raise support and funds for rangers at treetop walks. Vice versa, the EAK now has a variety of approaches for integrating ranger skills and entering new regions through ranger contacts.

A warm welcome to our new members!

As a new welcome format for new members of the International Ranger Federation and thus also to us, the European Ranger Federation, we have introduced a welcome meeting for new members. All new member organisations that have recently joined were present and introduced themselves and their work, after we as ERF had given a short presentation about ourselves and what we do. We hope everybody enjoyed it as we did and are looking forward to common projects with our new members!

Events
 

6th European Ranger Congress

Our Congress Website with registration and detailed information for the 6th European Ranger Congress (ERC) is live!

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'

Send us your Workshop Proposal!



We cordially invite you to submit your ideas for workshops. Please click on the form above!

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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