Ranger community
Events for rangers
Connecting with your community is a great way to learn new skills and knowledge or support your peers in new initiatives. Find out about upcoming events for rangers below.
Current events
December 2023
31 July - Annually
France – October 2024
Past events
4th October 2023
September 2022
October 2022
How we define ‘ranger’
Rangers are known by various titles, but at Thin Green Line, we view a ‘ranger’ as any person involved in the practical management, maintenance, and conservation of natural, cultural, and historical heritage, while protecting the rights and well-being of present and future generations.
Even if your official job title isn’t ‘ranger’ we still consider you part of our global community!
Our view of a ‘ranger’ encompasses people working in a range of sites, from legally protected landscapes like national parks and Indigenous Protected Areas, to public landscapes like wilderness areas, urban parks, and sites of cultural or historic importance. Rangers can be employees or volunteers, who operate within an organisation, community group or government.
Thin Green Line views ‘rangers’ as the critical frontline of conservation. Your efforts tackle some of the most pressing issues of our time, from biodiversity loss and climate change to natural disasters and community health. Your work reaches into remote landscapes, vast oceans and right into the heart of communities.
We thank you for your work, and stand beside you in your fight for our natural world.
Ranger Networks
Getting involved in your local ranger network is a great way to connect with rangers from different organisations. Thin Green Line is a strong advocate for the power of community. Explore some active ranger and conservation networks below:
International Ranger Federation
The International Ranger Federation (IRF) is a membership-based organisation consisting of ranger associations (active and emerging) and conservation organisations or individuals who are involved in conservation. IRF actively promotes and supports the formation of ranger associations around the world to ensure rangers are more adequately supported and represented. The IRF is the key organising body for the World Ranger Congress’ and can help you to connect with established ranger associations.
Indigenous Desert Alliance
The IDA, based in Australia, is an Indigenous controlled organisation that plays a vital role in ‘Keeping the Desert Connected’ across the states of Western Australia, South Australia and the Northern Territory and builds resilience for desert ranger programs and the communities they support. IDA works with its members and partners to ensure that Indigenous people are enabled to collaboratively manage Australia’s desert country and through this, to realise their social, cultural, environmental, and economic aspirations.
Universal Ranger Support Alliance
URSA is a global coalition of conservation organisations building a network of well-supported, professional, and capable rangers, who can act effectively as custodians of the natural world. Their priorities include representation, recognition, and resources for rangers around the world.
Force for Nature
Force For Nature is a forward-thinking social and environmental enterprise committed to preserving nature and the value it brings humanity, by supporting wildlife rangers and those at the forefront of environmental protection. They have developed a “Ranger App” providing the first ever mobile app tailored for rangers to connect, amplify their stories and campaign for their welfare.
WildHub
WildHub is an international community of conservation professionals. This site provides a space to exchange ideas, create new solutions, and make new partnerships to enable better, faster, and cheaper conservation that helps save more wildlife. WildHub is a non-hierarchical friendly community of like-minded people, with similar values and different ideas. Content and conversations are member-led, meaning that members decide what to talk about, how to interact, and how to grow the community.
Rangers supporting rangers
Through our networks and ranger events, we witness rangers coming together and making connections that can last a lifetime. Often, rangers leave these events with a sense of purpose and desire to help their peers who may be less fortunate in their working environment or capacity.
In response to this, Thin Green Line established our “Peer to Peer” fundraising portal, which allows ranger teams to set up their own fundraising initiatives, with all proceeds going to other rangers in need.
Recent examples include the Tasmanian Ranger Association who took on an epic challenge in 2022; traversing the length of Tasmania in a ‘Ranger Relay’. Their challenge was multi-focussed, not only would it physically allow rangers all over the state to connect over a shared goal, but it also had a fundraising target to help rangers in Timor-Leste buy patrol motorbikes. After 525 km of walking, rowing, and cycling over 31 days, 27 rangers helped to raise an incredible $22,000 for the project!
You can read more about the Tasmanian Ranger Relay here.
In another impressive effort, “Ranger Relay” was organised across the Australian Alps, with rangers from three different states coming together to traverse the landscapes they protect and raise funding for their counterparts operating in mountainous regions of Kenya.
We’ve been blown away by the perseverance of these rangers, and their amazing fundraising achievements. It’s heartening to see ranger groups support one another in this way, and we’re humbled that we can help you and your colleagues connect through these incredible initiatives.
If your ranger team would like to get involved in fundraising for another group in need of support, please contact us.
