The 9th World Ranger Congress will be held in the village of Sauraha (on the border of Chitwan National Park), Nepal between 12th-16th November.
The IRF World Ranger Congress provides a unique opportunity for rangers and organizations supporting rangers from all over the world to gather together and collaborate on issues affecting rangers globally.
Registration is now open!
more information: https://rangercongress.org/
Making the case for Congress attendance
Location
Sauraha; Chitwan National Park, Nepal (approx. 150 miles from Kathmandu)
Dates
12-16 November 2019.
Cost
Depending on flight route and hotel category – US$1500-2000
Outlining the Benefits of attending
Networking
Although networking is undoubtedly the most important aspect of the congress, it is also the toughest to quantify the value. First the chance to spend a week alongside 400 like-minded colleagues from over 60 countries will be an amazing opportunity and experience. The ranger community by tradition is very willing to share expertise- and everyone has something to contribute. It is by building these international friendships that we can gauge our level of expertise in comparison with others.
Education
The Congress programme will be packed with great talks that have been vetted by our peers from the international ranger community. It will be easily possible to identify the key talks that are relevant to the focus of your work. And there will be the opportunity to interact directly with the speakers and get to know them personally.
There are 7 main congress themes – Communities; Capacity building; New technologies; Ranger organisations; Indigenous rangers; Ranger welfare; Female rangers. Some of these are bound to be relevant to you and your organisation.
Training and sharing best practice.
The training opportunities on offer during the congress are quite detailed and given by experts who normally charge for such things. Some are free and others may carry a charge (such as the pre/post congress training courses). But these training opportunities can boost skills and introduce new ones that can be shared with colleagues on return (train-the-trainer approach).
There will workshops and break-out sessions designed to share best-practice or teach delegates a special skill and/or help overcome current or future challenges. The sessions at 9th WRC Nepal will include among others: Community Engagement; Protected Area Management; Combatting Wildlife crime; Human-Wildlife conflict management and Ecotourism.
Social interaction
The World Ranger Congresses have always had a stimulating social agenda – but even these have a purpose. Aside from enjoying the entertainment and some world food experiences, these social events give delegates the opportunity to get to know attendees on a more personal level and thus build one-to-one relationships that will pay dividend in the future.
Professional Recognition
The Congress provides the opportunity to submit papers; posters or talks for consideration. The Call for Papers usually opens six months or so before the conference date. Typically, the main requirements are to have a topic that is relevant to the Congress themes and to the ranger community. Sharing our expertise through a talk is a great way to showcase our organisation.
Even if you do not offer a paper or poster, as there are many concurrent sessions in the Congress programme, there will be an opportunity as a delegate to offer yourself to chair a session or act as a workshop moderator. In this way you have the chance to be recognised by your colleagues and to proudly represent your association; your employer and your country.
ENDS