Guwahati, Dec 5: As many as 146 participants from 20 countries have converged at the first Asian Ranger Forum (ARF), a global event which began at the Srimanta Sankardev Kalakshetra here on Tuesday.
Among the participants, which also includes representatives of local communities, 89 are active rangers assigned to keep vigil over various biodiversity-rich protected areas.
Assam forest minister Chandra Mohan Patowary attended the inaugural ceremony as chief guest while Maharashtra forest minister Sudhir Mungantiwar was the guest of honour.
The four-day event is being organised by the Assam forest department, biodiversity conservation organisation Aaranyak, International Ranger Federation (IRF), Ranger Federation of Asia (RFA) and the Universal Ranger Support Alliance (URSA) in collaboration with other NGO partners.
In his speech, forest minister Patowary expressed optimism that the Asian Ranger Forum would provide a unique opportunity for rangers and organisations supporting rangers from all over Asia to collaborate on issues affecting rangers globally in their pursuit of protecting forests and wildlife.
He said the forum would offer a platform for rangers to share knowledge, create partnerships and build capacity through a cross pollination of ideas, techniques and best practice conservation/management initiatives that have been tried and tested in conservation areas around Asia.
Elaborating on the rich biodiversity of Assam, the forest minister said dedicated forest officials with the support of local communities have scripted the rhino conservation success story in Assam as the state has achieved zero poaching in the past couple of years.
“Our rangers, forest guards and officials have been toiling hard while overcoming various obstacles, even in the face of extreme danger to their lives, to safeguard our rhinos and other wildlife. They must be applauded for such exemplary service in trying conditions.” Patowary said.
Apart from prevention of poaching, the minister said that the forest rangers engage in habitat management initiatives such as preventing deforestation. “Besides, they play a key role in mitigating man-animal conflicts, implementing strategies to minimise damage to crops, protecting human settlements, safely relocating animals, etc,” he said.
Speaking on the occasion, Chris Galliers, president of the International Ranger Federation said, “It is really exciting to be part of the first ever Asian Ranger Forum and seeing the region’s rangers coming together to strengthen networks and hear their challenges and solutions,’ said
“We look forward to working with the regional body, the Ranger Federation of Asia, to build on the momentum that the ARF is creating so that we see greater recognition and investment into rangers to ensure a professional planetary healthcare workforce,” Galliers said.
Notably, ARF offers a platform for rangers to share knowledge, create partnerships and build capacity through plenary sessions, workshops, training and other activities.
Discussions are expected to focus on four areas: inclusive workforce, conditions, conduct and capacity. Participants are expected to initiate discussions on existing challenges and opportunities, including how to address cross-cutting issues like climate risks, biodiversity loss and diseases.