Scaling up the number of rangers in Africa is essential for delivering the Global Biodiversity Framework’s ambition to protect 30% of the planet’s land and waters by 2030.

Yet across Africa, rangers risk their lives every day to protect wildlife, and many do so without adequate protection, recognition, or support.

The Ranger and Welfare Standards Initiative (RWSI) is a blueprint for transforming the ranger profession across Africa, and has been developed by Tusk in partnership with the Game Rangers Association of Africa (GRAA) with financial support of The Royal Foundation of the Prince and Princess of Wales and backing from the International Ranger Federation (IRF).

Coinciding with the African Ranger Congress in Kenya, we have today launched a new whitepaper, “Protecting Rangers to Protect Nature”, to showcase how the RWSI model works in practice.

Key takeaways include: 

• The RWSI provides a clear blueprint for transforming the ranger profession in Africa and beyond through providing affordable insurance, standards assurance, protected area assessments and leadership and knowledge-sharing. 
  
• Scaling up Africa’s ranger force will require a coordinated, collective effort across NGOs, locally led conservation organisations, governments and protected area authorities. 
  
• Raising the bar in how the ranger profession is supported, such as scaling access to insurance, promoting human rights and ensuring employers operate a shared set of minimum standards, is essential for protecting nature into the future. 

• To reach the ~345,000 rangers required to protect Africa’s biodiversity, the industry must become more attractive and sustainable as a long-term profession. Ensuring that rangers have the protection and recognition they need is essential in achieving this. 

Conservation cannot exist without rangers. Ranger welfare isn’t a luxury, it’s a necessity.