During the 2010 annual Park Law Enforcement Conference in San Antonio, Texas the PLEA Board of Directors voted unanimously to apply for membership with the International Ranger Federation (IRF). After completing the application process and being sponsored by the Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR) www.anpr.org PLEA was accepted into the IRF as a member association.
In July 2010 we received a warm welcome letter from IRF stating in part: “By joining the ‘world family of rangers’ you will be able to share your experiences with, and learn from, your colleagues from more than 50 associations from around the world. Once again, welcome to the family. We look forward to working with the Park Law Enforcement Association to advance the cause of rangers around the world.”
For more details regarding The International Ranger Federation (IRF) visit their website at www.int-ranger.net
HISTORY AND AIMS
The International Ranger Federation (IRF) was founded in 1992 with a signed agreement between the Countryside Management Association (CMA), representing rangers in England and Wales; the Scottish Countryside Rangers Association (SCRA); and the Association of National Park Rangers (ANPR).
The goals of this agreement are to provide a forum for rangers from around the world to share their successes and failures in protecting the world's heritage and to promote information and technology transfer from countries in which protected area management enjoys broad public and government support to countries in which protected area management is less well supported.
Rangers from any country can join the IRF. The only requirements are that they have an association of protected area professionals and that they petition the IRF for affiliation. In other words, the IRF is a federation of associations, not an association of individual members.
Fifty five associations from national, state and territorial entities have affiliated with the IRF. Additionally, rangers from other countries have applied for provisional membership in IRF while they attempt to establish ranger associations in their countries.
To achieve our goal of providing a forum for communications among protected area professionals, the IRF has sponsored five international congresses. The first was held in Zakopane, Poland in 1995 and was followed by further congresses in San Jose, Costa Rica in 1997, Kruger National Park, South Africa in 2000, Victoria, Australia in March, 2003 and in Stirling, Scotland in June 2006. The 6th World Ranger Congress was held in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, November 2009.
AIMS OF THE IRF To further the professional standards of rangers throughout the world To advance the aims of the I.U.C.N1s World Conservation Strategy To share knowledge and resources To establish global communications with ranger organizations To foster professional exchanges between rangers To arrange regular international meetings, including a World Congress every 3 years To undertake joint activities to directly support each other1s operations where necessary and feasible To represent rangers interests through close co-operation with other international organizations
