A new initiative has been launched seeking to ensure that rangers working on the frontline of conservation will be healthier, safer and better protected if they are injured, including fatally.
The Ranger Welfare and Standards Initiative will provide 10,000 African wildlife rangers with expanded access to appropriate and affordable work and medical evacuation insurance over five years, together with opportunities for training and leadership development.
Rangers are the guardians of biodiversity.
Their role is fundamental to environmental security and human wellbeing and to safeguarding nature for future generations.
Rangers play a vital role in reaching the Global Biodiversity Framework targets, including the 30x30 goal to protect 30 per cent of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.
Yet rangers are frequently exposed to life threatening situations and their efforts to safeguard threatened species, habitats and local communities is under-valued and under-respected.
Poor remuneration and working conditions, long hours and a lack of basic training and equipment are common.
Currently, 62 per cent of rangers lack any life insurance and 40 per cent need more health and safety training, according to the International Ranger Federation’s 2024 State of the Ranger Report.
There are close to 60,000 terrestrial and 6,000 marine rangers working in Africa.
Tusk developed the Ranger Welfare and Standards Initiative in partnership with the Game Rangers Association of Africa with financial support of the Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales.
The initiative has the backing of the International Ranger Federation.
The Prince of Wales, Royal Patron of Tusk, launched the programme in a landmark speech on November 5 at United for Wildlife’s third Global Summit in Cape Town.
“We cannot protect our planet without [rangers], which is why this initiative aims to ensure that rangers receive much needed life insurance cover, giving them and their families reassurance that they are protected for the dangerous job they do. It will be led by those who protect nature, for those who protect nature,” the Prince of Wales said.
The Ranger Welfare and Standards Initiative aims to expand the Ranger Protect insurance scheme by reaching more rangers to allow them to confidently and effectively perform their duties.
It seeks to expand the Ranger Welfare Pledge.
By signing up to the Ranger Welfare Pledge, organisations confirm they meet the minimum working standards, created by the International Ranger Federation with support from the Universal Ranger Support Alliance.
The initiative also seeks to develop a ranger mentorship initiative that draws on the knowledge and experience of recognised leaders in the sector.
It is the first sustained multi-year combined standards and insurance initiative to be rolled out across Africa, and the first time that the organisations have collaborated on such a project.
Above all, it aims to make the job of being a ranger a respected, recognised, admired profession that people aspire to join.
Nick Bubb, CEO of Tusk Trust, said the status and welfare of rangers needs urgent redressing.
“Rangers are the world’s guardians of biodiversity and play a pivotal role in maintaining planetary health, which is fundamental to human wellbeing,” Bubb said.
“It is time that we fully recognise and support their work through the RWSI’s collaborative and progressive initiative, if we are to safeguard nature for future generations and if we are to reach the Global Biodiversity Framework targets."
“We are united in our belief that empowering rangers through the RWSI is a hugely positive development for the future of African biodiversity and, as it is replicable to other parts of the world, for the future of the planet," he said.
Andrew Campbell, CEO of GRAA, said rangers are one of the world’s most important assets in the fight against the degradation of nature, yet they remain insufficiently recognised for their contributions.
“The RWSI will improve and promote the well-being, rights and professional standards of rangers across Africa to ensure that they are adequately supported, protected and empowered,” Campbell said.
“We need to work together to protect the protectors and acknowledge their immense contribution to nature that benefits both people and wildlife.”
The Ranger Welfare and Standards Initiative has been designed to be spearheaded by African rangers for the benefit of African rangers.
“It is time that we fully recognise and support their work through the RWSI’s collaborative and progressive initiative, if we are to safeguard nature for future generations and if we are to reach the Global Biodiversity Framework targets.
“We are united in our belief that empowering rangers through the RWSI is a hugely positive development for the future of African biodiversity and, as it is replicable to other parts of the world, for the future of the planet.”
Andrew Campbell, CEO of GRAA, said rangers are one of the world’s most important assets in the fight against the degradation of nature, yet they remain insufficiently recognised for their contributions.
“The RWSI will improve and promote the well-being, rights and professional standards of rangers across Africa to ensure that they are adequately supported, protected and empowered,” Campbell said.
“We need to work together to protect the protectors and acknowledge their immense contribution to nature that benefits both people and wildlife.”
