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Dear European rangers,
How will you remember May 2025? As one of the weather records – the driest, the wettest, depending on your country and region? Certainly as one that once again proved how important our work as rangers is in nature conservation, for preserving biodiversity and thus natural climate protection.
Diversity is just as important for our ranger community: in order to reach people from all walks of life and win them over to the cause of nature, we rangers ourselves must reflect the spectrum of society. One way are women in ranger jobs, still a minority in most countries. Join us making a change! Whether female or male, take part in World Female Ranger Week 2025 in June by sharing your statement on a gender-balanced ranger workforce: click the logo below or learn more under 'Events'!
And diversity is also crucial in the fight against wildlife crime, especially interdisciplinarity. This was demonstrated at the ‘Natural Traces and Forensic Science’ conference by participation of our Vice President, who, as a ranger, added a practical perspective to the scientific meeting on non-human DNA forensic. Read in our interview how eye-opening this was for the organisers.
To open people's eyes to the immeasurable value of the natural and cultural heritage of protected landscapes is what the ranger videos from Moldova and Austria are all about. In Moldova itself, our European Ranger Congress Coordinator and Secretary were on another road trip to support Moldova's volunteer rangers in aligning their strategy with global conservation & development goals.
And while the two of them will soon be working on finalising the details for the 6th European Ranger Congress (ERC) with our partners in Romania, the rest of the board has also been heavily underway again: in London discussing the topic of budget cuts, working standards and goals of ranger work with international ranger organisations and supporting NGOs. Here they contributed the perspective of the European rangers – just as our Training Officer did in the latest IRF webinar on ranger competences and welfare.
I look forward to discussing these and other topics necessary for rangers to build a bridge between people and nature conservation with you: In October at the 6th ERC!
Urs Reif, President of the ERF
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For species monitoring or to detect wildlife crime: DNA samples can be central to ranger work. The perspective of our Vice President Ilan Yeger at the ‘Natural Traces and Forensic Sciences’ conference in Prague made the mostly scientific audience realise how valuable cooperation with rangers as practical users is. We talked to Dr Daniel Vanĕk, conference organiser and non-human DNA scientist, and Alexander Griberman, CEO of Seratec, which develops prototypes for analysing animal DNA. Read why the experience of rangers is so important to them in the development of tools to combat wildlife crime and effectively protect endangered species.
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Our ranger videos of the month show two female rangers in Moldova and Austria working for the same cause: conveying the value of the natural and cultural treasures on their doorstep to the people. Because only those who recognise its value will support the protection of this heritage. Hear for yourself in which landscapes Natalia Wrbka and Maria Gurscaia are working to achieve their demanding goals and what challenges they are facing.
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They have set out to introduce the ranger profession in their country: the volunteer rangers from Moldova, united in the ‘Association of Voluntary Environmental Inspectors – Rangers’ and recent ERF member. Our European Ranger Congress Coordinator and Financial Officer Michael Großmann is helping these pioneers to develop their strategy and convince protected area administrations to integrate rangers. Accompanied by our Secretary Maria Gurscaia, instrumental in developing the association in her home country and connecting it internationally, Michael held a workshop in Lower Dniestr National Park (see photo, watching a flock of pelicans on an excursion) on strategy development in line with global conservation and development goals. In the Old Orhei Natural-Cultural Reserve, Butuceni, the reserve management learned in his second workshop about different ranger systems in Europe and how the reserve could benefit from rangers. After talking with Radio Eco FM about the ranger profession in Moldova, the two are currently preparing their next trip to finalise the details of the 6th European Ranger Congress with our partners on-site in Romania in June.
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They are small, fit in a wallet or trouser pocket and can save lives. Above all, however, the tick removal cards donated by the Swiss Griffin Rangers are a symbol of a strong international ranger community, as the Ranger Federation Asia (RFA) emphasises in its latest newsletter. What activated this action of solidarity within the ERF was that, a few years ago, a ranger in Thailand's Khao Yai National Park died from a tick-borne disease. As a result, the donation of tick removal cards now went to the rangers in Southeast Asia: RFA representative Peeranuch Dulkul Kappelle (Pat) picked them up in Black Forest National Park, where she met ERF President Urs Reif (left in the photo) and Charly Ebel, Head of Conservation Service (right). An 'inspiring act of cross-regional solidarity', like the Ranger Federation Asia states. We can only agree with that!
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Our Europe Regional Representative reports
- Early this month, ERF Project Officer Adam Turner and IRF Europe Regional Representative Lars Scharfe (from right in photo with Grant Miller, ZSL) attended the 'Consultative Meeting on The Role of Ranger Workforce in Enhancing Implementation of Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework'.
- Hosted by the Zoological Society of London in the London Zoo, organised by IRF and the partners URSA, it focussed among others on:
- How to deal with global budget cuts for rangers
- The development of consistent standards and goals for rangers
- IRF's work for implementing the Ranger Code of Conduct, Welfare Standards, Competence Frameworks and the Hyère Declaration with decision-makers
- The ERF representatives sensitised the participating NGOs to the challenges facing European rangers: while the focus of support is mainly in the Global South, rangers in several countries of the ERF region face issues similar to other parts of the world, from budget cuts to the lack of reliable labour and social standards.
- The IRF's webinar series on Global Ranger Competences & Welfare Standards focussed on African and European rangers a few days ago. Our ERF Training Officer Borja Díaz joined to add the European perspective about ranger training and working conditions, such as rights at work and health & safety.
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We are proud to announce that we now are member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
This means that in line with IUCN's overarching goals, we are committed to influence, encourage and assist international societies to conserve the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
Because advancing sustainable development and creating a just world that values and conserves nature works best by joining forces!
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We as supporters of the World Female Ranger Week ask all rangers – be it female or male rangers – to share their thoughts on women in the ranger profession.
Send us your statement and photo/video to share it on our channels via this form!
We will publish your statements according to the topics for each day of this year’s female ranger week, organised by the NGO How Many Elephants:
- Day 1: (June 23) Why Women? Why Now?
- Day 2: Skills & Innovation
- Day 3: The Impact of Female Rangers
- Day 4: Leadership
- Day 5: Success Stories
- Day 6: Challenges & Solutions
- Day 7: Female Empowerment
Deadline: Please make sure your statements, photos/videos are with us until 18 June 2025.
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If you are a young ranger or conservation professional, this might be for you:
This year the EUROPARC Federation, with support from the EU LIFE Programme, will award two Young Professional Scholarship Awards to promising young conservationists, who are committed to working for the benefit of Protected Areas. The aim of the scholarships is to enhance international cooperation and to advance the quality, innovation and European dimension of Protected Area management.
Applicants must:
- be 18 - 34 years of age by the 1st of October 2025
- reside in a European country (see the list of countries from the Council of Europe)
- be employed by a Protected Area or nature conservation organisation or be employed by an organisation that delivers its work in Protected Areas
Application deadline is 19 June 2025.
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Informations on registration and detailed information for the 6th European Ranger Congress (ERC) can be found on our 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'
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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This newsletter didn't reach you directly by mail? Register now to be informed conveniently in time about news, trainings, interviews and reports for and about Europe's rangers – and share the registration link with your fellow rangers.
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