Essential planetary health workers: Positioning rangers within global policy

Abstract

Our planet is facing increasing challenges: climate change, biodiversity loss, pandemics, poverty, and many other problems closely linked to a deteriorating environment. Meanwhile, one of our most important assets, rangers working in protected and conserved areas responsible for managing large tracts of the planet's lands and waters, are often underutilized, underrecognized and underequipped. They are generally left out of the debate about conservation and sustainable development policy, despite being central to the success of those policies. This paper outlines the need for global leaders across multiple sectors to recognize the profession of rangers as essential planetary health workers and to position rangers more effectively within global conservation and environmental policy mechanisms. It introduces the challenges facing rangers, the emerging diversity of roles within the ranger profession and the important contribution of rangers to conservation and sustainable development. It presents policy and implementation avenues to improve recognition and professionalization of rangers as key executors of conservation and development policy, particularly considering the recent Global Biodiversity Framework ambitions.

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“…Yet even when prevention is prioritised, some rare spillover events may still occur, and some endemic diseases will still persist. Therefore, it is also critical to monitor the health of wildlife, domestic species and humans in and near PCAs to rapidly identify outbreaks and to design effective disease control programmes (King et al, 2024;Pruvot et al, 2023;Stolton et al, 2023;Worsley-Tonks et al, 2022).…”

“…PCAs vary widely in their priorities, the pathogens that circulate locally, the external pressures that are present (e.g., livestock grazing, poaching), and other factors, and approaches should be tailored to each context-specific scenario. This highlights a clear need for PCA management guidance documents informed by PCA managers' diverse experiences, which should address the practical challenges associated with balancing One Health with other priorities and with limited resources (Appleton et al, 2022;Stolton et al, 2023). Additionally, while most guidance has focused on management actions for existing PCAs, efforts to minimise, mediate and monitor infectious disease risks should also be built into planning efforts for the many new PCAs being created to achieve ambitious global area-based conservation goals, such as Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (i.e., 30% of land, freshwater and sea conserved by 2030).…”

Using a crime prevention framework to evaluate tiger counter-poaching in a Southeast Asian rainforest

“…Rangers perform various essential roles preventing wildlife crime, aside from counter-poaching operations (Stolton et al, 2023). Simple and attractive policy goals such as an optimum patroller density can become counterproductive when the supporting infrastructure of management, analysis, training and equipment are secondarily and insufficiently factored into budget planning.…”

Insufficient numbers and poor working conditions for rangers protecting tigers

“…Rangers both ensure compliance with protected area rules and help develop and strengthen partnerships with local communities. Globally, there are not enough rangers to fulfill their role as planetary custodians, and increasing the number of rangers within protected areas is a conservation priority (Appleton et al, 2022;Stolton et al, 2023). Poor ranger welfare and a lack of appropriate equipment and training have also been identified as challenges facing rangers (Moreto, 2016).…”