In 2022, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) set an ambitious goal of protecting and effectively managing at least 30% of the Earth’s land and sea surface by 2030.

To achieve this objective, one key element cannot be overlooked: the training and recruitment of rangers. Indeed, if we look at the number of rangers and the surface area to be protected, taking into account this 30×30 objective, we see a real bottleneck. That is, there is an insufficient number of rangers for the current and future needs for preserving these natural areas around the world.

Rangers are on the frontlines of biodiversity protection, but despite their critical role, they often lack support and resources. With 290,000 rangers worldwide, we still face an enormous gap to reach the 1.5 million needed to meet the 2030 conservation targets.

“Matthias Magnier, a nature warden for the Aix-Marseille Metropolis, notes: “ A real problem in training for the job of park ranger is a lack of pure naturalist knowledge on the part of agents.”

“ These are not skills that can be learned in the classroom, but in the field, through long-term experience. And the opportunities for students to acquire them still remain through associations, but are often penalized by the limited budget and resources available to them. ”

As far as recruitment is concerned, in contrast to the ambitious objectives of the 30×30 program, the trend is towards a decrease in the number of staff, with a gradual increase in the scope of intervention, for a decreasing number of staff. As things stand, this scissor effect calls into question the possibility of meeting the ambitious targets announced for 2030. 

On the occasion of the World Ranger Congress, which attended from October 7 to 11, we wanted to highlight this particular issue and share a few initiatives.

10th World Ranger Congress

The International Ranger Federation (IRF) and Gardes Natures de France (GNF) organized the 10th World Ranger Congress, held in France from October 7 to 11, 2024. More than 400 professional rangers and conservationists attended this highlight of the global network to exchange views on common issues.

This major event facilitates international collaboration between rangers by addressing pressing environmental issues such as wildlife protection, sustainable practices, and emerging technologies.

Eco-Counter supports the event, contributing to the costs of rangers from regions lacking the resources to do so otherwise. A PYRO Nano people counter will also be given to each participant to enable them to track attendance.

And beyond the rangers, particular attention should be paid to the research that advances science around the theme of visitor management in natural areas!

A few initiatives around rangers and scientist training

VIMAS project

VIMAS (an acronym for “Visitor Monitoring and Management in Protected Recreational Areas”) is a European project starting in November 2023.

It aims to train the next generation of multidisciplinary scientists to ensure sustainable visitor management in natural environments.

More concretely, ten International Doctoral Candidates (DC) will be assigned to a specific PhD program, and career development will be monitored and supervised by the VIMAS consortium’s network of multidisciplinary expertise, which includes universities as well as companies.

A comprehensive program is planned to strengthen links between stakeholders (of which Eco-Counter is one!).

We’ll be working with scientists to share the tools and expertise we’ve developed over the years, focusing on the challenges of balancing access to nature with the preservation of flora and fauna.

To find out more about the project: https: //www.nmbu.no/en/research/projects/vimas

“Nature and Earth” Campus in Carcassonne, France

As part of our training program, we also had the opportunity to work for the second time with masters students in agriculture at the “Nature and Earth” Campus in Carcassonne, France.

As part of the Management and Development course, the students were given the following professional assignment:

“Several heritage bird species are present in the nesting boxes on the Campus, some of which are deserted. Among the various hypotheses, the disturbance of the birds due to the high number of students passing near the nesting boxes needs to be verified. Based on the technical characteristics of the sensor, the physical context and the signs of visitation, determine the optimal location for installing this sensor.”

For this exercise, Eco-Counter supplied a latest-generation PYRO ^Evo pedestrian counter with remote transmission, weather option, and quarter-hourly data transmission. Philippe Delmas, Client Consultant for Eco-Counter, also chose the winning group and carried out the installation, encouraging the students to handle the counter, as well as the Eco Link ^Evo application which enables the sensor to be monitored remotely, receive footfall data and manage its collection (on Android or iOS environment).

This exercise enabled the students to familiarize themselves with the system, which they will no doubt be using in the future. It also gave them an opportunity to learn more about anthropogenic use of natural areas. A visit to the Regional Nature Reserve on the island of Sainte Lucie, managed by the Narbonnaise Regional Natural Park, rounded off the presentation with a “hands-on” tour of the systems used to measure visitor numbers, and the issues involved in over-visiting protected natural sites.

Photo credit: R. Ribaut, Aménagement teacher