January 2010 E-News: Report on participation at the IRF World Rangers Congress

Tünde Ludnai, Deputy Chief Ranger, Kiskunság National Park Directorate reports on her time at the world rangers conference...

Thanks to the generous support of the EUROPARC Federation and the Kiskunság National Park Directorate I was able to attend the 2009 World Congress of the IRF, held in Santa Cruz (BO) and present a poster on the KNDP.

Historically Kiskunság National Park Directorate (KNPD) has good relations with European NGO’s managing protected areas (EUROPARC, EUROSITE). In the last couple of years these contacts have been weakened for a number of reasons but in September 2008, the European Seminar of the International Ranger Federation (IRF) was organised by the Kiskunság, Danube-Dráva NPDs and the Hungarian Ministry of Environment and Water, Hungary, and this has opened a new chapter.

The conference

During the week of the conference 261 Rangers from 43 countries met to discuss the role of the Ranger in the management of protected areas and in particular the challenges of biodiversity loss. Europe was well represented (28 delegates and 14 countries) and it was an excellent opportunity to discuss issues pertinent to protected area management in Europe, to make contacts, initiate new networks, to share our experiences with rangers from other continents, and last but not least, to learn more about the problems and solutions colleagues from all over the world are faced with.

New perspectives

The conference showed enabled me to take away new perpectives on my job. In particular it became clear that although the species and habitats we are working to conserve are different Rangers from all over the world face similar problems.The conference gave me an excellent opportunity to see a diversity of solutions to these issues and also to share my, and the Hungarian Ranger Service experience with others. In addition I was also able to established more contacts with rangers worldwide and in Europe.

The most important message of the Conference for myself was the need to strengthen and develop local and regional partnerships among the Hungarian, Central and Eastern European ranger services Serbia. This could be the starting point for improved communication and effiiciency. Our working environment, organizational structure may be different but our core task, the desire to manage our natural and cultural heritage in a better way, is the same. Lessons learned in other continents should be more incorporated in our everyday work.

Future opportunities

The KNPD supports the human resource and infrastructural development of the North-Serbian (Vajdaság-Vojvidina region) ranger service and protected area management institutions there. Common biodiversity monitoring and nature conservation education programmes are being set-up within the framework of existing and planned transboundary projects (e.g.Interreg).

In order to achieve this a site visit to the KNPD by a Swedish ranger (Per Egelberg) took place and will be followed by a visit to Sweden this year from myself, where I will present the success of Hungarian Ranger Service in the management of protected areas in the south eastern region of Hungary.
It is great to be brick in the big house of the international house of rangers!

Tünde Ludnai, Deputy Chief Ranger, Kiskunság National Park Directorate