THEME - HEALTHY PARKS, HUNGRY PEoPLE 

 Working towards Healthy Parks, dealing with Hungry People

Sub-Theme 1: Working towards Healthy Parks  (What we are striving for as rangers)

Presentations and Workshop on: Capacity Building – needs & solutions

This will include:

• Opportunities for local, regional, and global short-term personnel exchanges, and ways to generate financial support for such actions
• Establishing/recommending local, regional, and global standardized competencies
• Enhancing existing/developing new regional training centres
• Sharing, translating & development of best practice manuals

Presentations and Workshop on: Marketing and Networking

This will include:

• Marketing the role of the ranger as a primary conservation tool
• Enhancing the public’s understanding of the multi-faceted, vital role the ranger plays in contemporary resource management
• Ways to market IRF - as the global “spokesperson” for the ranger community
• Enhancing networking opportunities – 2012 is UN International Year of Cooperatives

Presentations and Workshop on: Making it happen

This will include:

• Security, ranger safety issues – focus on DRC, progress made there & the way forward
• Rangers Without Borders
• The future of IRF & giving life to the Strategic Plan
• Ranger Code of Ethics to promote the profession/ calling
• Project ideas/opportunities in Africa & elsewhere

Sub-Theme 2: Dealing with Hungry People  (The challenges limiting rangers from achieving Healthy Parks) 

Presentations and Workshop on: Challenges facing protected areas

This will include:

• Land use conflicts
• Human – wildlife conflict
• Dealing with conservation crime internationally (eg. working towards addressing ex situ demand for illegal wildlife & forest products)
• Political threats to protected areas
• Indigenous persons use of parks and natural resources  

Presentations and Workshop on: The rangers job – challenges & solutions 

This will include hungry people (including those hungry for more resources, money & power) and related issues that rangers have to deal with to ensure healthy parks, such as: 

•  Security and Ranger Safety

               - dealing with armed violators

               - work in isolated areas, backup insufficient in confrontation with violators

               - dealing with belligerent/aggressive visitors

               - lack of authority to carry firearms;  insufficiently motivated & trained field rangers

                other challenges

• Corruption, within ranks of rangers, within chain of command, political pressure

                causes, consequences, mitigation

•  In some cases, weak national conservation policies, weak enforcement laws

                may include lack of, or limited off-site (protected area) enforcement authority

• Supervisors not understanding/supporting role of rangers – consequences & solutions
• Lack of, or limited career advancement potential within the agency
• Inadequate or ineffective Communication and Interpretation

Note: In all of the above presentations, suggestions should be given of potential solutions and, where possible, recommendations made, of how IRF could possibly position itself to help achieve solutions or mitigate the problems.