Celebrating Rangers on World Ranger Day!

Most people assume that game rangers, rangers and field guides are one and the same.  To us, all are equally important, however it is most likely that people have different opinions of what their specific job descriptions entail. 

Rangers, game rangers, field guides and anti-poaching rangers are guardians and protectors. All of their rolls are important. Rangers are important in conservation and preserving global biodiversity making them essential for maintaining the very core of life on planet earth.

Rangers are known by various names and come from a wide variety of back grounds. They can be found in cities or rural villages, and they have a wide variety of ethnicities. They can be indigenous people and preservers of individual cultures or histories. Their reach of influence can run from urban, rural areas and even remote areas where they do their best to protect biodiversity in our land and oceans. Rangers are crucial for their local communities, countries and for the future of the world. They secure resources and wild spaces and make them available for current and future generations to use and enjoy. The list of benefits of having rangers around the world are endless and still growing as they adapt with the needs of our ever developing and changing world.

Here at Makakatana Bay Lodge we want to take a moment to recognise the hard work done by Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife and the iSimangaliso Wetland Park Anti-poaching unit as we celebrate World Ranger Day. Thank you for your time, effort and sacrifice to keep the park safe so our future generations can benefit from the nature we now have the privilege of enjoying. We also want to thank all of our wonderful guests who have visited the lodge, for their contributions that help to empower our Park Rangers - The Anti Poaching unit.

Field Guides, (the ones responsible for taking you on adventurous game drives, boat safaris and wildlife activities) are just as important as they create a safe environment for tourists to enjoy and experience the wonderful natural world around us. They act as interpreters between the guest and nature. They have the ability to show the unseen or unnoticed in the bush to their guest which they would be oblivious to otherwise. From the mother rock that brought life to the flora which in turn gave rise to the development of other organisms that live off the plants. The field guides show us the inner working of nature and educate us on the biodiversity of individual ecosystems. These experiences then also bring about a change of perspective and induce a sense of appreciation for the natural world. This is done in the hopes for not just giving the guest a good experience and relaxation but also a sense of willingness to attempt to help preserve these natural wonders, so that it can also be enjoyed and utilised by others or future generations. Field guide inform guests of the indirect impact that these natural resources have in their lives and the future of our precious planet Earth. They also create a small window into the lives of rangers so that people can also understand what important roles the rangers play in the background to help secure a green and prosperous future for all of us.

So today we give special thanks and celebrate all our rangers, field guides and protectors of the environment.

Photo credits: Brian Chang, Jaco DuPlessis