World Ranger Day 2024
Every year on 31st July we acknowledge World Ranger Day.
This is our opportunity to celebrate the incredible things that rangers do for nature every day, and to remember and honour those rangers whose lives have sadly been lost on duty.
This year, 140 rangers in 37 countries are reported to have lost their lives while working to protect nature, and over 1300 rangers have died on duty in the last ten years alone. These deaths only account for those recorded through the International Ranger Federation’s (IRF) network, and we acknowledge that many ranger deaths go unreported and unrecorded due to the remoteness of their work. Another concerning trend is that again we see homicides make up the majority of ranger deaths (27%) followed by animal encounters (26%). This highlights the many life-threatening risks rangers face in their field work, and why it is essential to ensure rangers are appropriately trained and resourced to face these risks. Thin Green Line uses these records to inform the type of support we provide through our field programs.
The theme of World Ranger Day 2024 is ‘30 by 30’ – now, more than ever, we need to draw attention to the direct and tangible actions that rangers take every day to reach our global 30 by 30 targets, as set out by the Convention on Biological Diversity.
This theme will also be the core focus of the World Ranger Congress, upcoming in October 2024.
This World Ranger Day we’re calling on all Thin Green Line supporters to share World Ranger Day stories through their social media pages.
A World Ranger Day Resource Toolkit has been prepared with images for printing or sharing on social media to show your support for rangers. Share with family and friends and help us spread the word about World Ranger Day! Remember to use hashtag #WorldRangerDay2024 and share others’ posts this month!
Rangers Around the World
World Ranger Day is an annual opportunity for rangers to reflect and connect with one another. Here are a few examples from around the world of events being planned by rangers for World Ranger Day 2024. Be sure to follow our socials for more stories around 31st July.
If you’re based in Australia, look out for some of our cities’ most famous landmarks turning green for World Ranger Day!
Hobart’s Tasman Bridge, Melbourne’s Town Hall, Brisbane’s Story Bridge and Parliament House Adelaide are just a few of the many landmarks being illuminated green on the evening of World Ranger Day! A huge well done to the Tasmanian Ranger Association, Association of Rangers and Conservationists Victoria, Queensland Ranger Association and South Australian Ranger Association for spreading the World Ranger Day messaging to a wider audience!
Rangers in Thailand are also coming together for an annual event to commemorate the rangers whose lives were sadly lost in the line of duty this year.
This is one of the longest running World Ranger Day events globally, and serves as an opportunity for Thailand’s rangers to reconnect and remember their colleagues who have made the ultimate sacrifice to protect nature.
Rangers in Zambia are hosting a ‘Junior Ranger’ event with students from their local school. The rangers plan to teach the children about local wildlife and ecosystems, and why protecting nature can support their community’s livelihoods.
Junior Ranger programs are an effective tool used in many countries for rangers to reduce human-wildlife conflict and inspire younger generations to care for the environment.
Rangers in Slovakia’s Tatra National Park will be hosting an information stall to engage with their summer visitors and teach them about the global ranger community. Tatra National Park lies on the border between Slovakia and Poland, making it an important cross-border protection area for mountain flora and fauna; rangers from both countries work hard to preserve this beautiful landscape.
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