There was a really interesting video from Rangers in Australia, focussing on the damage caused by the last massive bush fires there. It was made in memory of the Rangers, and other people, who died and was both moving and fascinating. Equally interesting was a talk on Volcano National Park in Hawaii, which showed how the lava damaged the site, then how vegetation managed to grow again. There are loads of sessions I could mention, but will leave it at just those two.

Thursday 5th Nov. saw us all going on field visits, generally with a 6.30 a.m. start (not a normal time to be awake as far as I’m concerned). The buses were slightly longer than our 17 seater minibuses, but held about 28 people, if you’d care to imagine that in 30 degrees of heat and high humidity..........phew!!!

Our transport for the last section of the route was in a 4x4 because of the rough terrain. As they didn’t have enough vehicles, we generally squeezed in where we could, with 8 of us in the back of a pick-up and 2 on the roof rack of a Land Cruiser. We forded several rivers and were told that once the rainy season started the people living on the far side of it would be cut off until the water receded again.

Organisation of the event happened in the loosest sense of the word, but as far as I know everyone got there and back again. My visit was advertised as being horse riding, but ended up being a walk in a rainforest for 3 ½ hours. It was a fantastic environment to visit, but very challenging with the heat and humidity. The noise was unbelievable from the insects and birds, but with some beautiful flowers around. We visited a lovely waterfall, and then walked to the top of it to get a great view down the valley. The walk continued up, including an almost vertical wooden ladder attached to the rock with rusting wire (didn’t realise that until I climbed past it. Mind you, it held for bigger people than me). We eventually made it down for lunch at 3.30 p.m. which was badly needed. There were plenty of offers of cocao leaves to chew along the way however.

We reached the hotel again at 9 p.m., having had to reverse the journey in 4x4s and buses, and sank gratefully into the swimming pool, followed by a very late dinner. And if you ever want to try the Atkins diet, South America is certainly a good place to do it (if you fancy 26oz steaks for lunch).

That’s it for now - but one last report to come.

Adios,

Janice.

Anyway, we arrived in Santa Cruz on Saturday 31st October after travelling for over 24 hours into temperatures of 42 degrees (a heatwave here apparently given it’s only spring). The opening ceremony took place Sunday evening, with welcome speeches (simultaneously translated from Spanish where necessary). The Bolivian people are very proud of their protected areas and culture, and we got an insight into that from the speeches, and from some excellent performances by local dancers and a band. As with a lot of South American countries the pace of life is relaxed, everything happens eventually, and so it was that we had dinner at 10.30 p.m., which nicely rounded off the first evening.

The first day got underway with a change to the programme due to the late arrival of some speakers. In multi-national groups we considered the effects of climate change on a Rangers job, and how Rangers could help address the issues. It was interesting that so many different countries came up with similar issues, like loss of habitat due to rising sea levels, and similar solutions, like leading by example. The speakers gave insights into how climate change affected the Bolivian environment and the importance of monitoring changes – not just to create statistics, but to inform decisions.

After some fairly lengthy negotiating, Nick Eade (the other CMA delegate) managed to secure some wall space and sellotape so we could finally put up the CMA poster. So that’s now available for delegates to look at.

More later, and thanks again to the CMA for the bursary to support my coming here.

Adios!

Janice

It also seeks to encourage young professionals and help them develop
networks by inviting winners to attend one of the global conservation
events and become a member of the Young Conservationists Global Community.

For the 2010 award, the winner will be have his/her travel, accommodation,
and conference fees fully paid to attend the ‘Healthy Parks Healthy
People’ conference, to be held next April in Melbourne, Australia.

Nominations/applications are invited for/from young people (under the age
of 35) working in conservation and actively managing protected areas. This
includes all people working in protected areas, such as (but not limited
to) rangers, interpreters, people working with local communities, policy
makers, and scientists, and includes people working for government
agencies, the private sector, non- government organizations, local
communities, etc., who deal directly with protected area management and
policy.

For more information on the Young Conservationist Award, including a link
to the online application form, click on the link below. Applications are
due by December 1st.

http://www.georgewright.org/yca

Questions should be directed to the award committee at yc.2010@hotmail.com

Roger Cole
CMA International Adviser

We who work with nature conservation try to keep a balance between nature's own sustainability and our human impact.
We have done this for 100 years and we will continue to work toward this in the future.
In this valuable work there are many individuals who contribute and make a difference.
Over time a few people stick out. They have a clear vision and in a goal-oriented fashion move our work forward.

When the announcement came for the opening of the nomination to the Alfred Toepfer Medal, we, the Nordic-Baltic section had a revelation that the time had come to recognize someone who has made great contributions and who from an early age has devoted himself to nature conservation!

1. In 1953 you start your national park “career” at the age of 12 on a school camping trip 2 years after the establishment of UK´s first national park and the story goes that you knew that it would be the place to live and work.

2. At (18) you join the Peak District National Park´s voluntary warden service and participate in the first warden training course given in the UK (it´s still given yearly).

3. In 1968 you get a full-time post with the Peak District National Park Warden Service.

4. During the 1960s you act in a lot of positions in the local community, also having the annual school walk on the iconic Kinder Scout, the Peak Districts highest mountain, which overlooks the village.

5. During the 1970s, when the title “warden” changed to “ranger” you extend your vision and became an active Chairman of the Association of Countryside Rangers (ACR) promoting the value of ranger services coming together to exchange expertise and ideas and build camaraderie.

6. In the 1980s you devote a lot of energy to ranger training, assisting the development of many pioneering courses at, for example Losehill Hall, the Peak District National Park study centre, providing professionalism in protected area work.

7. In the late 80s, at European Ranger Training seminars meet the “EkoPole” (Piotr Dabrowski) from Krakow and you initiate an exchange of field staff between Poland and UK.

8. In 1990 together with 14 other UK-rangers went two weeks to Poland and to follow up this as an exchange you went to the Foreign Office in London and secured a grant from the UK Government´s Know-How fund.
9. In 1991 enabled 15 Polish field –based staff to visit England and Scotland, culminating in attendance at the Scottish Countryside Rangers Association Annual Conference at Balloch hotel.

10. During a boat trip on Loch Lomond had a famous discussion with rangers from Scotland, United States and Denmark that led the following year to the formal inauguration of the International Ranger Federation.

11. In 1992 represent the Contryside Managers when the International Ranger Federation (IRF)was founded with a signed agreement between the Countryside Management Association (CMA), representing rangers in England and Wales; the Scottish Countryside Rangers Association (SCRA); and the U.S.Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR).

12. At 6:30 on the evening of Sunday, May 21, 1995, as chairman of the International Ranger Federation, officially opened the First World Ranger Congress with the raising of IRF's flag outside the Kasprowy Hotel in Zakopane, Poland, to the thunderous applause of 135 delegates from ranger organizations from 35 nations around the world. It was a watershed moment in the history of the ranger profession.

13. As President of th IRF on the EUROPARC conference in Zakopane 1999 have a workshop on the “Role of the ranger”

14. Retire from your full-time ranger post in 2002 and the following year goes to the IUCN World Parks Congress in Durban with a large delegation from IRF.

We are very satisfied that The EUROPARC Federation now awards the ALFRED TOEPFER MEDAL 2009 to Mr.Gordon Miller for his significant contribution to nature protection in Europe by inspiring, encouraging and coordinating the work of ranger services.

Strömstad SWEDEN

Thomas Hansson
President of the EUROPARC Nordic-Baltic Section

"We are deeply sorry to inform you of the tragic death of our ranger colleague John Bosco Kanyangara Muhima. He was part of a patrol launched on the morning of Friday, August 14th, to save the remaining hippos in Virunga NP. The team met a group of heavily armed poachers and after two hours’ exchange of fire, John Bosco's gun ran out of bullets. One of the poachers who was undercover opened fire in the ranger's direction and John Bosco received a shot in the lungs. The ranger team transported him to the nearest point for evacuation, close to Lake Edouard, where a speedboat was sent to rescue him. Unfortunately he died before he could be transferred to a hospital. His funeral was held on the edge of the Rutshuru River at a very beautiful place called Mai ya Moto. It overlooks the Rwindi plains which is an area that he spent his life protecting. Kanyangara was buried with honors as a conservation hero, in the company of all fellow rangers and Emmanuel, the park's new director. He was the father of six and his widow has still not recovered from the shock following the burial of her partner.”