European Ranger Federation

30/04/2026

Just launched: 🚀

We invite all female rangers from our member countries to take part in our

🎤European Female Ranger Survey 🎤

open until 15 June!

Your responses will be invaluable in helping us to better understand the actual situation female rangers face in their work across Europe, and to develop appropriate initiatives for female rangers as part of our ERF Female Ranger Project.

🌍 According to estimates, only around 11 per cent of rangers worldwide are female; there is a lack of data on the average situation in Europe, as well as reliable information about their working conditions, specific challenges and key needs.

🔥 With this survey, we aim to close this gap.

💚 Heartfelt thanks for taking part! And please feel free to share this survey widely with all your female ranger colleagues. 🙏

✏️ Participate now: bit.ly/4tPJxjS

23/04/2026

⏳ We all grow old eventually – and so does our website. Although it recently underwent a structural makeover and continues to be dynamic in terms of content, the technology behind is becoming outdated.

📣 To keep you up to date with our international networking and training opportunities from ranger to ranger, and to represent you, the rangers and your crucial work, it urgently needs an overhaul. 🩺

💶 This will mount up to around 6,000 euros.

🤲 As we work mainly on a voluntary basis and our existing funds are fixed for our training sessions, our part-time roles for professional networking, project work and communication, we now need your help:

❗️ Every donation, starting from just 1 euro, helps us maintain the central platform for our work on behalf of the rangers in our region!

👉 Just scan the QR code or click link in comments!

Please share our appeal largely to help us reach our goal. A huge thank you to all who help us continuing our work from ranger to ranger! 🫶

15/04/2026

🔥 We are delighted to invite you to our Advanced Fire Investigation Training course, organised in cooperation with the Public Enterprise for Nacionalni parkovi Crne Gore / National parks of Montenegro:

🗓️ From 21 to 27 September, under the guidance of two internationally recognised instructors, you will receive a comprehensive and practical introduction to the following topics:

🔎 Wildland fire origin and cause determination
🔎 Fire behaviour analysis for investigative purposes
🔎 Scene protection and evidence handling
🔎 Investigation methodology and documentation
🔎 Complex case management
🔎 Serial arson investigation and pattern analysis

Please note: The course is aimed at graduates of the following courses:
📋 FI-110 – Wildland Fire Observations and Origin Scene Protection for First Responders
📋 S-190 – Introduction to Wildland Fire Behaviour
which are available via the official online training portal of the National Wildfire Coordination Group (NWCG).

✍️ Apply now for our training week in Cetinje, Montenegro, right next to Lovcén National Park – simply scan the QR code on the second slide or click link in comments for all the details! 👇

08/04/2026

🚨 Shortly before the Catholic Easter holidays, two rangers were threatened and physically attacked in Romania’s Parcul Natural Lunca Mureșului (Lunca Mureșului Nature Park).

🪵 They had observed and pursued illegal logging. The timber thieves reacted so violently that both rangers are still unable to work, with one seriously injured.

While our deepest sympathy goes out to the two rangers, hoping that they will make both a quick and full physical mental recovery, their case shows us once again:

‼️ Even in Europe, rangers do not have sufficient resources to carry out their important conservation work safely.

It is unacceptable that rangers, who protect and preserve our remaining natural treasures, invaluable to the health of our planet, should risk their health and sometimes even their lives.

📣 We therefore support the Romanian Ranger Association Rangerii Din Romania Arr and call on the authorities in Romania and beyond to support their essential conservation workers with everything it takes for their safety in the field!

Stand with rangers. No ranger should have to pay this high price for doing a job vital for all of our future.

📰 Read more details in the press release of the Romanian Ranger Association on our website (click link in comments)!

📸 credits: Forest in Lunca Mureșului Nature Park, photos of the stolen and seized timber ©Nature Park Administration Lunca Mureșului

04/04/2026

02/04/2026

🏔️ Following the German rangers, the Swiss rangers have also come together: last week, the General Assembly of the Swiss Rangers association took place in Urnäsch, opposite the Säntis, highest peak of the Alpstein massif.

🙌 Here, they had a major milestone to announce: following the association’s long-standing efforts, the profession of ranger has finally been recognised in Switzerland, and ‘ranger’ is now a protected professional title!

🙏 We were represented by ERF Vice-President Lars Scharfe and very much hope that this example will set a precedent internationally, where ever this crucial profession for global conservation goals is not yet recognised or does not even exist!

In addition to an excursion to the Säntis, the focus was also on changes to the Executive Committee:

🗳️ Following the departure of President Murielle Keller, Vice-President Laura Walther and Training Manager Tobias Klein, a newly elected board has taken office: Stefan Steuri is the new President of the Swiss Rangers and Yannick Bucher the Vice-President. You can find all further details on the departments at
🔗 swiss-rangers.ch/de/vorstand

🚀 We wish the Swiss Rangers continued success – on to the next milestone for the profession of rangers, the voice of nature!

📸 1: the new board and group photo ©Andreas Anetzhofer
📸 2: Lars Scharfe meets Alpine chough ©Yannick Bucher
📸 3: excursion to Säntis summit ©Lars Scharfe

01/04/2026

🪶 We are pleased to announce a Scientific Bird Ringing Field Course, to be held

🗓️ from 27 to 29 May
📍 at Lagoa de Santo André e da Sancha Natural Reserve (Portugal)

💡 The course will provide practical, field-based training in bird capture; handling, identification and ringing techniques; contributing to monitoring, research and conservation efforts.

💶 Participation fee: 100€, including accommodation and meals

🛏️ Accommodation will be provided in shared bunk beds at the Monte do Paio refuge.

👥 Number of participants: The course is limited to 20 participants.

⏰ Application deadline: 15 May 2026

In the event of a higher number of applications, a selection process will be carried out to ensure a balanced and representative participation.

✍️ Pre-registration: bit.ly/3QdAeLi – or click link to bird ringing training in comments 👇

25/03/2026

🏔️ Against the stunning backdrop of Nationalpark Berchtesgaden, around 160 rangers from four countries gathered for the 31st conference of Bundesverband Naturwacht e.V. - German Ranger Association.

💡 With the theme “Rangers and Tourism: Experiencing nature without endangering it”, they exchanged views in a location that is both a major tourist destination and home to sensitive natural habitats.

🌿 The location alone, as well as numerous insightful presentations, discussions and excursions, made it clear just how much rangers are needed to bridge the gap between these two areas.

☀️ Our Vice-President Lars Scharfe was among the participants and, in addition to valuable insights from the ranger exchange and impressive photos, brought back good news for the international ranger community:

🎟️ The conference raffle raised an impressive 2,000 euros for the international ranger aid organisation The Thin Green Line Foundation, and the sale of our ERC ranger coins raised 450 euros for our work in networking and supporting rangers in our region.

🤝 In addition, a generous donation from Jan Brockmann (Regio Ranger) will enable rangers from low-income countries to attend the World Ranger Congress in Argentina – huge thanks for all these wonderful ranger-to-ranger contributions! 🙌🙌

📸 group photo: Elisabeth Kätsch; all others: Lars Scharfe

21/03/2026

31. Bundesweite Naturwacht Fachtagung in Berchtesgaden

Vom 11. bis 13. März 2026 fand die 31. Bundesweite Naturwacht Fachtagung im Nationalpark Berchtesgaden statt. Unter dem Motto „Ranger und Tourismus: Natur erleben, ohne sie zu gefährden“ kamen 160 Rangerinnen und Ranger aus ihrer jeweiligen Region aus ganz Deutschland sowie aus der Schweiz, Tschechien und Österreich zusammen, um sich auszutauschen und voneinander zu lernen.

Viele reisten bereits am Dienstag an. Am Mittwochvormittag führte ein Team von zwei Rangern die Vormittagsexkursion zum Malerwinkel am Königsee bei herrlichem Sonnenschein. Nachmittags begann die Tagung offiziell mit der Mitgliederversammlung. Ein besonderer Programmpunkt war die Neuwahl des Vorstandes. Nach 18 Jahren Verbandsarbeit tritt Robby Meißner zurück. An der Seite von Milena Kreiling übernimmt nun Jens Liß. Drei neue Beisitzer unterstützen das Team ab sofort.

Der Donnerstag stand im Zeichen spannender Fachvorträge. Vorgestellt wurden unter anderem die Biosphärenregion Berchtesgadener Land als Modellregion für nachhaltiges Miteinander, aktuelle Projekte zum Artenschutz von Steinadler und Bartgeier, die Umweltbildungsarbeit sowie die digitale Besucherlenkung im Nationalpark. Den Abend rundete ein kulinarisches Buffet mit Spezialitäten aus allen teilnehmenden Regionen ab.

Am Freitag ging es für alle mit zwei Booten zum St. Bartholomä im Königsee zu abwechslungsreichen Exkursionen. Ein gemeinsames Mittagessen bildete den Abschluss der drei erfolgreichen Tage. Viele verlängerten ihren Aufenthalt, um die Umgebung noch ein oder zwei Tage zu erkunden.

Zum Abschluss lässt sich sagen, dass die Tagung ein großer Erfolg in beeindruckender Kulisse war. Gleichzeitig wurde erneut deutlich, wie präsent die Spannungsfelder zwischen Tourismus und dem Schutz sensibler Natur sind. Genau diese Vermittlung bleibt eine der zentralen Aufgaben von Rangerinnen und Rangern.

13/03/2026

🌊 For many rangers along the Atlantic coast, the past few weeks have been challenging: violent winter storms have caused thousands of puffins to be washed up on the shoreline, either completely exhausted or dead.

🐧 When once-noisy colonies fall silent, it affects the rangers deeply on a personal level – especially as storms are not the only challenge facing these seabirds.

⏰ At the same time, rangers are racing against time to save the animals that are still alive.

👉 Find out how rangers from Scotland, France, Spain and Portugal experienced these distressing discoveries, which continued right up until last week:

📖 Read our report, in which rangers share their thoughts (click link in comments 👇), and see the testimonials from some of them here!

12/03/2026

🔄 What is it like to switch from practical conservation work in the field to the heart of European bureaucracy, while also representing a traditionally male-dominated profession as a woman?

🇪🇺 María Martínez has currently swapped her job as a head ranger in Navarre, Spain, for a six-month posting in Brussels. Here, she represents Spain’s regional governments as their Coordinator of the Commission for European Affairs in the Council of the European Union.

🔎 In this position within the Sectoral Conference on Environment, she not only sees how the same conservation laws are made that she ultimately has to implement as a ranger.

💡 She can also provide valuable input on the effects that abstract regulations have on the ground, the complex stakeholder environment in which they have to be enforced, and what works – or doesn’t.

👉 Why she chose this stage in the conservation chain, what policymakers can learn from rangers, and why the ranger profession in a society committed to nature conservation needs women as a matter of course:

🎤 Read our interview with María in this International Women’s Week (link in comments!).

10/03/2026

Join the Camp in Norway this year 🙌🏕️🔎🪲

Applications are now open for the 22nd International Junior Ranger Camp