On July 31, in the conference hall of the Hydrometeorological Service, the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Turkmenistan held a round table dedicated to World Rangers Day.

This day serves as a stark reminder of the vital role that park and wildlife rangers/superintendents play in conservation efforts around the world, and the often overlooked dangers they face in the line of duty.

According to nCa, the event was held to stimulate the work of environmental inspectors, as well as to attract public attention to environmental protection.

The event was attended by particularly distinguished inspectors from each state reserve, as well as employees of the Environmental Protection Department of the Balkan velayat.

The participants of the round table made presentations about the ongoing work in the field.

The roundtable was held jointly with representatives of the regional program “Major Feline Corridors of Central Asia”, funded by Conservation X Labs (CXL), which recently launched in Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan and Turkmenistan. This program is based on promoting national efforts to conserve the snow leopard and the Central Asian leopard in Central Asia.

To stimulate the work of the inspectors, all participants were presented with certificates and valuable gifts provided by the CXL and UNDP/GEF projects “Conservation and sustainable management of land resources and ecosystems of high natural value in the Aral Sea basin to obtain multiple benefits” (“Aral” project).

The gift set included: tents, field sleeping bags, rugs, headlamps, backpacks, T-shirts, caps and other equipment so necessary in the field.

In 2007, the International Federation of Rangers established a professional holiday. Its purpose is to recognize the contribution of people in this profession to the protection of nature.

Statistics show that more than 1000 Rangers have died in the line of duty worldwide in the last decade. These brave people face numerous threats every day:

• encounters with armed poachers;
• dangerous wildlife;
• extreme weather conditions;
• accidents in remote and rugged areas.