Training Rangers: The Solution to Wildlife Crime

Our planet’s wildlife and species are dwindling by the day. In fact, every 15 minutes an elephant is killed in the wild for its ivory and sold on the black market. Sadly, the lack of tourism over the last year has seen a spike in poaching across the African continent. It is therefore more important than ever, that we recruit and train Field Rangers to defeat wildlife crime and assist with crucial conservation projects.

It is vital that we raise awareness of the devastating knock-on effects of poaching, a crime which doesn’t just kill the animal, but destroys the lives of their offspring and threatens the lives of rangers; many of which have tragically died in the line of duty, further devastating local communities. The detrimental impacts are becoming increasingly evident. For example, no more elephants means less green fertiliser, which results in less wildlife growth, seriously impacting the lives of humans.

The Frontier Collective

In the hope to expand the ranger community across the African continent, the Pelorus Foundation has partnered with the Frontier Collective in supporting and delivering effect-based solutions to the most crucial areas. Through an unrivalled collective of operational advisors, instructors and experts, Frontier are delivering tangible impact in some of Africa’s most challenging environments through training, mentoring and capacity-building services across the Afrotropical realm.

Some of Frontier’s efforts so far include: developing an understanding of the environment from an ecological as well as a law enforcement perspective in Zimbabwe’s National Parks, supporting the ongoing coordination of management practices to protect the endangered black rhino in Namibia’s Onguma Game Reserve, building vital crime prevention units to aid ongoing conservation of the world’s largest white rhino population in Kruger National Park, whilst in Tanzania they are focusing on nature guardianship and game scout skills development.

Wildlife crime has reached a crisis point and Frontier is one of the many inspiring organisations dedicated to playing a critical role in the ongoing challenge.

To play their role, brave members of local communities embark on a lengthy recruitment process, training for what is often a dangerous profession in working to conserve the fragile African wilds. In addition to stronger laws and global action, we need to support the training of Field Rangers who are often under-resourced and under-supported in the line of duty. After all, these brave individuals are risking their lives daily, in their efforts to prevent wildlife crime.

However, to have a real impact on the ground, we need to train many more individuals. £20,000 funds the training of one Field Ranger, a lengthy process involving numerous interview stages to gain a solid understanding of the individual’s mindset and physicality, followed by induction training and skills development before building a career in this highly-sensitive sector. Whilst conservationists are using technology such as drones and infrared to help them track endangered wildlife, given the sheer scale of the land, the presence of people on the ground to prevent and respond to incidents is in high demand. Field Rangers are the solution.