Celebrate the world's rangers this Friday

TUESDAY, JULY 28, 2015

Celebrate the world's rangers this Friday

World Ranger Day will take place on Friday 31 July, with events in New Zealand and around the world to celebrate the work rangers do to protect the world’s natural and cultural treasures.

New Zealand has several events taking place on World Ranger Day, including a Mount Everest National Park charity show at Takapuna War memorial dedicated to fundraising for rangers affected by the recent earthquakes in Nepal with special guest Peter Hillary.

Other New Zealand events include Auckland Council’s World Ranger Day event at Sanders Reserve, Paremoremo. This event features drone demonstrations and a public tree planting. It will be opened by Auckland Council’s Manager Sports Parks and Reserves Ian Maxwell, and includes conservation guru Bruce Jefferies as guest speaker.

World Ranger Day is led globally by the International Ranger Federation (IRF) and supported in New Zealand by the New Zealand Recreation Association (NZRA) and Department of Conservation.

NZRA Chief Executive Andrew Leslie said World Ranger day is significant to New Zealand because of the role rangers play as kaitiaki, or guardians, of our unique natural environment, and their work enhancing the recreational spaces we enjoy.

“Rangers play such a vital role in conserving natural wonders, wildlife habitats, cultural heritage sites, parks and recreation areas around the world. Through conservation initiatives, they are literally working to ‘save the world’ in which we live and play.

“As an associate member of the IRF, NZRA encourages people to support rangers in their area. For World Ranger Day this may mean raising awareness with events, tree plantings or awareness messages. It’s also an ideal time to consider volunteering to assist rangers and conservation initiatives.”

Mr Leslie said the day was a great opportunity to pay homage to the great work done by New Zealand’s rangers working for local authorities, the Department of Conservation, and other organisations such as non-profits, volunteer networks and conservation trusts.

NZRA is planning events to help co-ordinate New Zealand’s involvement with rangers around the world, including organising an upcoming Park Ranger Hui in Wellington, and attendance at upcoming IRF meetings.

World Ranger Day events around the globe include exhibitions, plantings, memorial services, fundraisers, and screenings of The Thin Green Line, a documentary released on the first World Ranger Day in 2007 featuring the stories of rangers from 19 countries.

Last year’s initiatives included public messages in support of rangers from HRH Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, and Dr Jane Goodall. World Ranger Day also commemorates rangers killed or injured in the line of duty. Many rangers around the world face extreme danger, in particular those who work to protect endangered species from poaching, and their habitats from illegal deforestation.

World Ranger Day is promoted by the 63 member associations of the IRF, the Thin Green Line Foundation, and individuals who support the work of rangers around the world.

ENDS

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