A sense of camaraderie prevailed as over 105 rangers from 14 African countries came together at the Southern African Wildlife College in Hoedspruit for the first African Ranger Congress.
The event was endorsed by the International Ranger Federation (IRF), supported by the Thin Green Line Foundation, and organised and facilitated by the Game Rangers’ Association (GRAA).
Rangers from Angola, Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of Congo, Gabon, Kenya, Malawi, Madagascar, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe were in attendance, sharing their stories of success and the challenges faced at ground level whilst protecting Africa’s wilderness and wildlife.
Participants identified common issues and solutions were discussed so that pro-active steps may be taken to ensure that rangers are sufficiently supported and have the required capability to fulfil their conservation mandate. Rangers were also exposed to various initiatives to enhance ranger capability in the field of biological conservation, law enforcement and community engagement.
Resolutions from the congress, containing key themes that need to be addressed for an effective African ranger corps were drafted and documented into the African Ranger Congress Declaration of Intent which will be tabled at the IRF World Ranger Congress in Nepal next year.
“Events such as this are hugely valuable in establishing a continental esprit de corps amongst rangers. We need rangers to unite and for their voice to be heard as they are the men and women who stand at the forefront of all conservation efforts,” said Andrew Campbell, GRAA CEO.
“This Congress has created a stronger platform for Africa’s rangers to work together to strengthen ranger effectiveness and capability across borders and in countries of operation,” said Chris Galliers, IRF African Representative.
SATIB Insurance Brokers, together with GRAA, runs a joint venture called Ranger Protect, which aims to provide risk cover for game rangers who cannot afford it.
“Initiatives like #rangerprotect are important to the rangers on the ground. Rangers across Africa are often without access to incident management services and insurance benefits when things turn nasty. #rangerprotect makes sure that they have the access to necessary incident management and evacuation covers should they need them, and equally important, it provides significant benefits rangers and their families should they be injured or killed in the line of duty,” says Andre du Toit, Director of SATIB Insurance Brokers.
“The tourism industry needs to support these initiatives, because these men and women are putting their lives on the line for the very wilderness areas that are home to their tours and lodge operations. Rangers are the ones who are protecting the wildlife that attracts tourists to our beautiful country. We need to recognise their role and support them accordingly to keep this industry flourishing,” concludes du Toit.
Both parties have set up a Given Gain account where the industry can donate towards the initiative.
Ranger Protect’s numbers recently increased, according to Campbell and include 110 rangers from Mozambique; 203 from Zimbabwe; and 65 from Zambia.
