European Ranger Congress 2017 Articles

European Ranger Congress 2017 articles Contributions:

 Clair Payne: Meeting other rangers who ‘just get it’...

 Roger Cole: Creation of the European Ranger Federation (ERF).

 Chloe Bradbrooke: Fieldtrip to the Bohemian uplands and the Milesovka National Nature Reserve.

 Natalia Burianova: The 4th European Ranger Congress through the Eyes of an International Volunteer.

 Tomski Heenan: Rangers without borders.

 Natalia Burianova: A Field Trip to Muráň Plateau National Park or the Tales of a Slovak Ranger.

Meeting other rangers who ‘just get it’… By Clair Payne

I’ve been a National Trust Ranger for 5 years now, and I still continue to be blown away by the passion and drive of my fellow rangers in the Lake District National Park. Heading to the European Ranger Congress was a brilliant reminder that there are also rangers across Europe who just ‘get it’. You don’t find yourself explaining what a ranger does, or trying to hide the non-glamorous side of it (clearing away an abandoned campsite, litter picking or filling the never-ending potholes…). There are others who do that too…

We all share a passion for nature and biodiversity – it is the driving force for all rangers, even though our day job can vary. Heading to a congress such as this one, in my opinion is one of the best ways of giving yourself and your fellow European colleagues a massive pat on the back. For we all know, in the words of an inspiring Carol Ritchie (Chief Executive of Europarc), that whilst ‘rangering should transcend politics’, the reality is much starker. It only takes one government decision to de- designate a National Park. I am sure you’ll all agree, that is a very frightening prospect for nature. So now, more than ever, we need to shout about what we do. Ranger budgets are being cut, not seen as an important part of the landscape (I don’t need to go into the reasons why as I know RANGER readers ‘get it’ too..). Going to the Czech Republic was a reminder that there are other rangers going through the same thing. And what better way to share the solidarity than over some great Czech beer… So if you can get yourself to a congress, do it. What about the Bavarian Forest for the 5th European Ranger Congress in 2020? Or Nepal for the World Ranger Congress in 2019? It will re-ignite your fire for nature, and remind you that you are not alone – Europe (and the world) has this huge family of rangers to call upon. Meanwhile, I walk with a bigger spring in my step, knowing I am lucky to do a job for nature, for the enjoyment of those who visit our beautiful landscape and with hope for the future of our natural environment.

Creation of the European Ranger Federation (ERF) By Roger Cole One of the highlights of the Congress was the forming of a European Ranger Federation, primarily to give a common voice to European Rangers whilst still under the umbrella of the International Ranger Federation (IRF). There are over 50 countries in Europe and less than half of these have national associations of rangers and others involved in managing protected areas. Thus it was felt that forming a pan-European Federation, would help lift both the voice and profile of rangers across Europe. Both IRF and EUROPARC fully support this initiative. The European Ranger Congress saw both the acceptance of the statutes of the new organization and the proposal for a new ERF logo. A small team was elected to take things forward under the new ERF President Frank Gruetz (German Ranger Association) – namely: 1. Secretary/Communications Officer – Emmanuel Icardo – a ranger in Gardes Nature de France – the French Ranger Association. 2. Treasurer – Mirva Hyhko (Finland) – volunteer ranger and wilderness guide. 3. Training Officer. Hrafnhildur Ævarsdóttir (known as Habba) – a ranger with the Icelandic Ranger Association. 4. Project Officer – Niki Goth – a ranger with the Swiss Ranger Association. 5. Vice President – Roger Cole – former Head Ranger and vice-president of CMA.

The 18 voting European IRF member associations present at the Congress were then invited to sign the General Declaration co-operation agreement between their respective associations and the new European Ranger Federation. Ian Brooker signed on behalf of CMA.

The following projects were identified as priorities for the new Federation:  To formally register the new Federation as an NGO in Germany.  To lift the profile and image of European Rangers through marketing and communication initiatives.  To consider training programmes that might have relevance across the European Ranger membership.  To seek potential funding or sponsorship to progress the aims of ERF.  To encourage clustering or bringing together small groups of countries that have similar problems or issues.  To organise the next ERF Congress in the Bavarian Black Forest in 2020. F ieldtrip to the Bohemian uplands By Chloe Bradbrooke During the conference I had the pleasure of joining the fieldtrip to the Bohemian uplands and the Milesovka National Nature Reserve; a steep prominent volcanic hill on the otherwise flat landscape. It has its own special micro-climate, including a remarkable ‘chimney effect’ in which air currents move through the scree bringing warm air in winter and cool air in summer. It is covered in native deciduous forest – oak, beech and lime, areas of rock and scree and is home to eagle and horned owls, fire salamanders and the martagon lily. It is known as the windiest place in Czech supposedly blowing 350 days a year so we were truly lucky to have a still day for our visit. It is topped by the oldest weather station in Czech and has incredible views –a great way to see the different land management in the patchwork of old growth forest, plantations, orchards, vineyards and fields – also open caste brown coal mines, some still in use others now recovered and naturalised. There is very little fencing in Czech giving the appearance of land rolling seamlessly on. Dan, a volunteer ranger took us on a tour of the mount, telling of its manmade and natural history. Interested in how he was able to give so much of his time for free we discovered that he also owns much of the encircling land. He is a very enlightened farmer who has been transforming the surrounding area with environmental improvements, backed by EU funding. He led us around the farmland, showing us where he has created ponds, restored wild flower meadows, enhanced the area for butterflies, encouraged native tree species in the pastures and is advocating sustainable forestry. His love and passion for the land was palpable and we later learnt he is also a candidate running for the Czech equivalent for the Green Party. There is a real appetite for the outdoors and an interesting fact we learnt was that the average Czech person visits the forest 59 times a year – more than once a week, compared to less than 10 times a year in the UK.

The 4th European Ranger Congress through the Eyes of an International Volunteer By Natalia Burianova

I have been a full-time volunteer ranger in West Cornwall for a year now. At 23, I quit a permanent corporate job in Slovakia because I knew I wanted to be a ranger. I promoted sustainable tourism in the Italian region of Abruzzo, volunteered in the Sierra Nevada National Park in the mountains of southern Spain, came to the UK to do a full-time volunteer ranger placement on the wild coast of West Cornwall, guarded Cornish chough nests for the RSPB and found out about the European Ranger Congress 2017 from the Spanish ranger Esaú while I volunteered with the organisation team of the Spanish National Environmental Congress in Madrid. Even though I received no support, I was determined to go.

The Congress was a strong experience and I believe there were some important messages. What I got out of it was the bigger picture, perspective and inspiration. As Sean Willmore, the president of the IRF, said, 'For many of you, a ranger is not what you do. It's who you are.' Seeing so many people so dedicated to safeguarding nature, with a passion and a vision, only made me want to do more.

Rangers are important, we do important work and we are the ones on the front line fighting for nature. In Albania, rangers were considered not important and the whole country's ranger service was disbanded. A few years later, it had been realised that parks could not be managed without rangers, and Albanian ranger service was reformed.

I work closely with our senior ranger Shaun and have been involved with managing our protected areas at different levels. I know that being a ranger may sometimes seem frustrating. With budget cuts, lack of funding and teams being understaffed, we may feel we are not appreciated, recognized or listened to. The Congress gave me perspective. In the Czech Republic, one professional ranger on average covers a protected area of 18 km². In Slovakia, the rangers keeping a 24-hour guard on a golden eagle's nest are casually visited by a brown bear crashing into their makeshift shelter in the middle of the night. In Spain, two rangers were shot by a poacher earlier this year. Do our issues still seem as big?

One ranger from another country said to me he didn’t think he had anything in common with the rangers from certain other countries. But even though it may seem that the work of the rangers in different countries differs significantly, it is fundamentally the same. The work of a UK ranger may be mostly about managing visitors and access infrastructure to ensure that certain areas are left undisturbed, the emphasis of a German ranger’s role may be on environmental education and a Swedish ranger may be fighting wildlife crime, but our mission is the same: to protect nature and manage the interaction between the human and natural world so that we can live side by side in harmony. I believe seeing the Israeli and German rangers meet at the Terezín concentration camp, carry each other's flags and sign a twinning partnership agreeing on close collaboration and mutual help sent out a strong message. If they can do it, anyone can. Another great example are the Czech and Slovak Ranger Associations. They work together and organised this European Ranger Congress together despite having been separate countries for 24 years. They formalized this friendship by signing a twinning agreement this year, as well as Spain and Portugal, Finland and Denmark, Portugal and Croatia, Iceland and Romania…

In the light of recent developments, with environmental policies being abandoned, climate change being denied, ranger services being disbanded and the world being divided, we need to stand together facing our common issues and present a united front. That is what the founding of the ERF means. We are one big ranger family. We all have the same mission. We only have one planet and we need to work together to protect it. Wise words were said at the Congress: With the combined energy, imagination and problem-solving expertise of the rangers in the Congress room and the rangers who are behind us, we have the potential to be a really strong force.

I hope that the 5th European Ranger Congress in the Bavarian Forest in Germany will see as many inspiring, dedicated people get together and exchange experiences and ideas. I know I will do my best to be there.

Rangers without borders By Tom Heenan

The spirit of international cooperation was strong at the European Ranger Congress. The theme of this congress was “Exploring new approaches to conserving nature”. Carol Ritchie, Executive Director of EUROPARC, pointed out that the future is full of challenges, but also opportunities too. "We are not alone - we are one big family". She said that "we need to look beyond our own patch, and elevate our role... Look to the future for Rangers in Europe."

The Congress had a number of examples of people already working together across borders for nature conservation. Many of the National Parks in Czech Republic are near the country's borders, so there are examples of parks linking up across borders such as Šumava National Park (Czech border with Germany and Austria) and Bohemian Switzerland (Czech and German border) to show us what can be achieved by working together.

The Congress also looked at ideas and projects to stimulate and develop more international cooperation. Different forms of cooperation were discussed, such as twinning, sharing knowledge, ranger exchanges and clustering. A number of IRF twinning agreements were actually signed at the Congress too. Twinning helps to bring rangers closer together. The IRF sees the twinning document as a sign of intent from ranger in different countries to work together. It can be the framework within which ranger exchanges, cross-border projects and other forms of cooperation can develop.

The twinning agreements that were signed at the Congress were between:

 Czech Republic and Slovakia

 Iceland and Romania

 Finland and Denmark

 Portugal and Croatia

 Portugal and Spain

 Switzerland and Albania

In the spirit of international cooperation, German and Israeli rangers visited the local memorial concentration camp site "Terezin", together. Both ranger groups carried both flags through the memorial. In a historic gesture, these two countries also signed a twinning agreement to work together.

Frank Grütz from Germany - the IRF European representative (and now president of the new European Ranger Federation) said: "We've had a special congress, establishing the ERF and signing some twinning projects including a very historic event - Germany and Israel. This is a historic step among European Rangers. It's giving courage, it's a sign of openess and tolerance. It's a kind of brothership - we are all the same despite borders, despite religion or belief. We are all the same."

Many other countries showed an interest in forming their own twinning agreements in the future. Within each agreement, each country's parks can also twin up with other parks. This could lead to many opportunities for cooperation, whether it be monitoring protected species together, sharing training, even carrying out joint patrols along shared borders.

I travelled to Bohemian Switzerland National Park on a field trip as part of the Congress, which allowed me to see first-hand some of the great cooperation already happening between the Czech Republic and Germany along this border, and why this kind of cooperation is so important.

Bohemian Switzerland is the youngest National Park in the Czech Republic. It sits by the German border and is linked with Saxon Switzerland National Park on the German side. This is a region of sandstone, 6,000 square kilometres of sandstone, which makes for a landscape of deep mountain passes, rock towers and canyons - including the largest sandstone canyon in Europe. This is a popular area for challenging rock climbing, and the sandstone here was actually used to build much of Prague and Dresden.

On the field trip we were told that 70% of visitors to this part of Czech Republic are from Germany (where climbing and caving are big traditions). Because of this, there are many multilingual signs, for example signs explaining how visitors should behave to help staff to protect bats living in the caves.

We came very close to Germany at times during our field trip, and there were parts of the River Elbe where one bank was German soil and the other bank was Czech soil. We were told by local staff that it is important to "work together, familiarise with the other side..." and that the two services work to present a united front, to make sure that visitors see them both "as one unit, rangers of nature."

The Head Ranger of the German National Park also talked about how he works with the Czech National Park. Connections between the two sides, especially between the National Parks, have a long tradition - even when this was illegal, nature conservationists worked together across the border to protect capercaillie, peregrine falcon and others!

It is much easier these days to work together, and this includes joint patrols by rangers, and even a joint Christmas party. The police also carry out joint patrols on the river Elbe (Labe) by boat, and we were treated to a trip on one of these patrol boats as part of the field trip. At one point we had to swap boats, jumping across from one with a German flag to one with a Czech flag, in order to reach the shore. For me this highlights the point of this international conference - we have to be ready to jump out of our boat, ready to reach out across borders and work together with others.

The Peregrine Falcon has benefitted from the cooperation between the Czech Republic and Germany. These birds disappeared from the area due to pesticides, with the last nest seen on the German side in 1972. Peregrines returned with the help of a reintroduction programme, starting in Germany in 1997. When the Czech side was declared a National Park in 2000, the park admin joined the initiative and released 77 birds over 6 years. These birds were actually sourced from the church tower in Berlin! The aim is to further encourage these birds in both the National Parks and Protected Area land. The Peregrines are also now spreading out into other parts of the Czech Republic, and I was lucky enough to see the fruits of the German and Czech rangers' labours while hiking in the hills north of Litoměřice after the congress. Peregrine Falcons were nesting on the church tower in Žitenice, a small settlement up in the hills.

The Congress programme included the planting of a Ranger Tree to commemorate the founding of the new European Federation, and the rangers that have fallen in the line of duty. Rangers from 26 different countries each placed a handful of soil on the tree's roots, and this symbolic gesture reflects the general atmosphere of brotherhood and sisterhood amongst the rangers at the conference. These rangers showed a willingness to break down boundaries and work across borders. I will echo the words of others: we are one big Ranger family, and we all work in one park - planet Earth!

A Field Trip to Muráň Plateau National Park or the Tales of a Slovak Ranger By Natalia Burianova

Wilderness deep in the Slovak mountains. Primeval beech forests where fallen trees lie across the path, the green of the leaves, forest floor and moss-covered tree trunks reaching as far as eye can see. The song of woodland birds resounds through the forest and the sunlight filtering through the foliage casts a greenish light on three rangers hiking up the valley. The Slovak ranger Zdeno is leading this field trip in the Muránska Planina National Park as we follow a narrow path winding up the Martinová valley and learn about what it means to be a ranger in central Slovakia. At the entrance to the valley, we find that a sign alerting us to 'Increased sightings of brown bears' has been personally signed by a brown bear leaving his distinct marks on the wooden post. On the ground next to the path, a bear track is visible. It is no more than two days old. The call of the cuckoo echoes through the valley and three of them fly past. The southern side of the valley is made up by a rock face where golden eagles nest. The nest had been targeted by egg collectors for many years so the rangers set up a 24- hour watch to protect it. Hiding in a makeshift shelter one night, they heard the rustling of footsteps. 'We've got him!' they thought. Waiting until the sounds got within a few metres, they shone a bright torch into the intruder's face. Looking back at them was a pair of glowing bear eyes. The rangers then sprinted down the valley in the pitch dark.

As we reach the top of the mountain where the forest turns into forest-steppe, a big shadow appears on the ground. I look up and see a golden eagle gliding in the air no more than a few metres above our heads, before disappearing into the treeline. Our guide smiles and explains that the eagle has come to check out the newcomers in his territory. The wildlife likes to do that; it is likely that the local resident bear is watching us from a safe hiding place as well. A wooden hunting cabin stands in the mountain meadow now alive with wildflowers and butterflies, there is a hay feeder under the trees and a couple of people are cooking on an open fire. We are invited to join in. As the Slovak and Czech saying goes, in the forest, everyone is a friend.

Last winter, the rangers used the cabin as a base for bear monitoring. In temperatures below zero, they made their way up the valley and prepared to spend the night taking turns in watching for the bears and warming up by the cracking fire in the cabin which has no electricity, heating or running water. They didn't need to. In the early evening, a mother bear and three cubs made their way into the clearing and played around while the rangers stood on the wooden porch and watched (and counted). Wolf howling can also be heard in the forests of Muránska Planina. Grey wolves are shy. Conflict with humans only arises a few times a year when the wolf mother takes her cubs to one of the traditional sheep farms to teach them to hunt. The sheep farmers are refunded for the damage but it is up to the rangers to resolve the situation and maintain positive relations.

The Eurasian lynx is also doing well in these mountains. A few weeks ago, a lynx from Muránska Planina was relocated to Bavaria to expand Germany's lynx gene pool. One night, a ranger received a text notification that a live trap had fallen. He called the other rangers and they set out into the forest in the middle of the night equipped only with torches. Anything could have got in. With a torch, they circled the trap until they could confirm that a lynx had been caught. They contacted the authorities to arrange the transport but ended up waiting in the forest until the morning for the lynx to be picked up.

Far in the valley below is a large meadow where in the low grass hundreds of European ground squirrels dive from a hole to a hole in the ground, popping in and out, while a few stand guard. If a threat approaches, they let out a whistle to alert the colony. The wildlife ranger Ervín Hapl watches and pats the grazing donkeys. He has just cut out a path in the tall grassy vegetation for bats to access a freshwater spring and built a dam on the mountain stream to create a favourable breeding habitat for the Eurasian minnow - a freshwater fish that should also bring kingfishers and black storks to the area. It is his merit that the ground squirrel colony is thriving in Muránska Planina.

Ground squirrels had disappeared due to agriculture in 1970s. In 2000, a decision was made to eradicate ground squirrel colonies at the Bratislava and Košice airports because they attracted large birds of prey that threatened air traffic security. Intent on saving them, the wildlife ranger started a long capture process. Live traps did not work. In the first 3 days, the team managed to capture 5 individuals, of which 4 died. Then they were shown a traditional trapping method. Over the next 3 days, they captured 100 individuals. All traps had to be checked regularly or the animals would not survive in the 30+°C temperatures. The wildlife ranger personally resuscitated 4 of them.

Next was the relocation process to Muránska Planina. The team would extend a mouse hole using cutlery and put the ground squirrel inside head down. The ground squirrel would start digging and create its own tunnel. Ground squirrels are very social so several of them would be put in close proximity. For the next three days, the team would stand around the holes to stop escape attempts. By then, the ground squirrels would understand that their holes meant safety while the outside world did not, and settle in.

The challenges did not end there. Hawks, badgers and foxes were suddenly attracted to the site. One lone ground squirrel emerged from a hole after the winter. In 2002, they started breeding and 2003 saw 80 females with young. In 2004, the grazing cattle were taken off the meadow and the ground squirrel population went down to less than 50. There were many moments the wildlife ranger felt like giving up. But he kept the efforts going. Over the next 7 years, the team tried different ways of cutting, burning and managing the land for ground squirrels with not much success. In 2008, an apple was discovered to be the ultimate bait that made the live traps work after all and spared the rangers the painstaking process of traditional trapping. In 2011, with less than 20 ground squirrels left, donkeys were brought in to graze the meadow and things finally started to look good. Today, over 700 ground squirrels are living in the colony and if you leave some seeds on the ground for them and sit back, you can watch them run around and eat from a several metres' distance.

In the distance, a traditional church tower can be seen peeking out from behind the green hills. The village of Muráň gives its name to Muránska Planina, meaning the Muráň Plateau - a limestone mountain plateau with numerous karst formations and over 150 notable caves. Towering above the village on the top of a mountain at 935 metres is the Muráň castle, a 13th century castle ruin with its share of legends telling of outlaws, rebellions, secret love, traitors and brave warrior maidens from the times gone by. Today, the castle is a ruin with a tower, walls and pieces of medieval pottery scattered in the ground where after centuries, nature is taking back over. Trees are growing in the courtyard, red squirrels wandering around and the floors abounding with wildflowers, including several endemic species such as the daphne arbuscula, which brings the management to a point of precarious balance between the conservation of nature and archaeology.

Since 1970, local residents and volunteers have been clearing scrub and gradually repairing the walls. In 2005, three rangers spent 25 days and nights at the castle building wooden platforms, manually carrying the materials up from a cabin below the castle with 30 - 40 daily round trips, with the National Park manager bringing them supplies every day, drinking water from a spring and sleeping in the courtyard under the stars.

In some places of the National Park, bare mountainsides and piles of unprocessed wood are a reminder of 2004 when a hurricane force wind destroyed 13 000 hectares of Slovak forests. In the Muránska Planina National Park, it took the foresters 2 years to process the wood of the fallen trees. By that time, the wood had been attacked by the bark beetle, which then quickly spread to the living trees and started a race against time in which the foresters tried to stop the spreading. It resulted in a calamity that lasted 5 years. Nowadays, the bark beetle is managed through pheromone traps. As we learn about this, the local ranger team are busy setting up bark beetle traps on the mountainsides.

One of the most iconic sights of Muránska Planina is the Hucul horses roaming Veľká Lúka - the Great Meadow. From May to October, these Carpathian wild horses graze the mountain meadows of the National Park moving from pasture to pasture with three full-time herders who spend the summer months living a nomadic life in a wooden caravan, with no electricity or running water, weathering storms, the sun and bitter cold. All of them grew up around horses and must really love them to bear these tough conditions. The hucul breed is directly descended from the extinct Eurasian wild horse tarpan. Small but heavy-built, sturdy and placid, huculs were used for military and forestry works for centuries. With the advances in technology and heavy machinery, the need for their traditional use receded and in 1970, there were only 300 individuals left in the world. A stud farm that opened in Veľká Lúka in 1950 has responded to the changing situation over the years by giving the hucul horses a new purpose to keep the breed alive. The National Park considers them a part of the Carpathian landscape and has been using them for forestry works, meadow grazing and as a tourist attraction. For a time, the Muránska Planina National Park even boasted several mounted rangers riding hucul horses.