World Female Ranger Week – Share your statement!
2025-06-23 - 2025-06-30
World Female Ranger Week, initiated by the NGO & ERF member How Many Elephants, was launched to support female rangers globally.
Also this year’s World Female Ranger Week from 23 to 30 June 2025 celebrates and supports female rangers around the world as gamechangers and pioneers for women to stand alongside men at the forefront of conservation.
But they need allies: Join us to make a difference and share your thoughts on women in the ranger profession!

How to contribute
We, the European Ranger Federation, as supporters of the World Female Ranger Week ask all rangers – be it female or male rangers – to share their thoughts on women in the ranger profession.
Send us your statement and photo/video to share it on our channels via this form:
https://forms.gle/a7Kw4pCFv3wMhxv29

How it works

We will publish them according to the topics for each day of this year’s female ranger week:

Day 1: (June 23) Why Women? Why Now?
Day 2: Skills & Innovation
Day 3: The Impact of Female Rangers
Day 4: Leadership
Day 5: Success Stories
Day 6: Challenges & Solutions
Day 7: Female Empowerment

Please note: Publication is not guaranteed, especially regarding the quality of photo/video material. Statements and photo/video material might also be shared on the channels of IRF and howmanyelephants.org.

Deadline
Please make sure your statements, photos/videos are with us until 18 June 2025.

Rewilding Webinar: Implementing Nature Restoration Law
2025-06-24 13:00 - 14:00 (Europe/Paris)
Rewilding Europe is inviting to a special webinar, hosted by Rewilding Europe on behalf of the European Rewilding Coalition:
Implementing the Nature Restoration Law through Rewilding.
The EU Nature Restoration Law marks a turning point for large-scale nature recovery in Europe. But what does this mean for rewilding in practice, across landscapes, within national policy plans, and at local level?
Join us to explore how this legal framework opens up space for rewilding, and what it could mean for you.
Whether you are working on the ground, building rewilding capacity, or advocating for change, this webinar will give you a deeper understanding of how the Nature Restoration Law can support your efforts.
The webinar is free and open to all – you are welcome to share this invitation with others who might be interested!
Webinar details:
Title: Implementing the Nature Restoration Law through Rewilding
Date: Tuesday 24 June 2025
Time: 13:00 – 14:00 CEST
Registration: Click here to register.
What to expect:

Legal context

Arie Trouwborst, Professor of Nature Conservation Law at Tilburg University in the Netherlands, explains how the law creates new legal opportunities for rewilding.

Practical tools and guidance

Giulia Testa, Upscaling Manager at Rewilding Europe, presents the Practical Guide on integrating rewilding into the National Restoration Plans.

Local case study: Velebit Mountains in Croatia

Marija Krnjajić, team leader at Rewilding Velebit, and Matko Bišćan, Senior Project Manager for Nature & Environmental Protection (Ecology) at Institute of Environmental Protection & Energy, share real life experiences from Croatia.
The webinar will be hosted and moderated by Amy Duthie, Head of Upscaling at Rewilding Europe.

Rangers: Powering Transformative Conservation – IRF Webinar
2025-07-31 10:00 - 11:30
Please see this webinar offer from the International Ranger Federation (IRF): “This World Ranger Day, we celebrate the brave men and women who protect our wildlife and wild places. From managing protected areas to responding to disasters and building community trust, rangers power transformative conservation efforts across Asia and beyond.
This webinar aims to amplify rangers’ voices, recognise their diverse and evolving roles, and reaffirm the urgent call for greater protection, recognition, and investment in their wellbeing and professional growth.
🗓️ Date: 31 July 2025 (Thursday)
🕓 Time: 1:30 PM – 3:00 PM (Indian Standard Time); 10:00 AM – 11:30 PM (Central European Summer Time)
💻 Platform: Zoom
Hear inspiring stories directly from rangers, reflect on their challenges, and honour the heroes.”

🔗 Registration link
🎥 Livestream on the IRF Facebook page

Celebrating Women Rangers: Contributions, Challenges, and the Way Forward – IRF Webinar
2025-07-31 12:30 - 13:30
We are happy to present another IRF webinar offer:
“On World Ranger Day 2025, join us in honoring and celebrating women rangers — their contributions, the challenges they overcome, and the way forward for building more inclusive and resilient conservation leadership.
Women rangers play a vital role as biodiversity defenders, community builders, and agents of change on the frontlines. Despite facing unique barriers, they continue to inspire and lead efforts to protect our shared natural heritage.”
🗓️ Date: 31 July 2025 (Thursday)
🕓 Time: 4:00 PM – 5:00 PM (Indian Standard Time); 12:30 – 13:30 PM (Central European Summer Time)
💻 Platform: Zoom
🔗 Registration link

Re-Elections for the ERF Executive Committee
2025-08-09 - 2025-09-09
The candidate application process is open for members* to apply for any one of the six positions which make up the ERF Elected Executive Committee (EEC).

Role descriptions for each position:

Positions Open for Election and their job descriptions (linked):
 ERF President
 ERF Vice President
 ERF Financial Officer
 ERF Secretary
 ERF Training Officer
 ERF Project Officer

Please note that for total transparency during the election process, the following EEC
Members will either be standing again for their existing position, applying for another role
within the EEC, or standing down:
Ilan Yeger – currently Vice President will be standing for President
Lars Scharfe – IRF Regional Representative will be standing for Vice President
Michael Grossman – currently Financial Officer will be standing down
Maria Gurscaia – currently Secretary will be standing for Secretary
Borja Diaz – currently Training Officer will be standing for Training Officer
Adam J Norton Turner – currently Project Officer will be standing down

Candidate Nomination Process:
To apply for any of the positions please use the online candidate application form.

Election Timeline:
Note to Voting Associations – please contact the Election Committee directly by email (erc25elections@europeanrangers.org) as soon as possible and before the opening deadline, if your nominated Association contact (the person who receives the general ERF mailings), is not available to receive the Electronic Voting Link. This person must be available to vote online on behalf of your Association during the voting period (see below). Voting links cannot be transferred to someone else once they have been sent out!

Voting Opens: 2nd October 2025
Voting Closes: 9th October 2025
Voting Method: Electronic voting (details will be shared with Regular ERF Member Ranger Associations in due course)

The results of the elections will be announced at the European Ranger Congress on Thursday 9th October 2025 and the newly Elected Executive Committee will be formally introduced during the Congress. However, in the case of a tie for any position, a second ballot will be run as soon as possible afterwards, which may delay the formal introduction of those specific EEC positions.

If you are passionate about the ranger movement and committed to contributing to its growth and unity across Europe, we encourage you to consider standing.

*ERF Candidate Eligibility Criteria: (as set out in the ERF Guideline Election Regulations)

The candidate must be a current or former ranger and must be a member of an association in good standing and listed on the Final Electoral Register. See Executive Committee & Election Process – European Ranger Federation.
Candidates may be nominated by representatives of Regular Member Associations included in the Final Electoral Register.
Those interested in standing must submit their candidate application to the Electoral Committee within the nomination period below, including a letter of motivation, a photograph and the official endorsement from their Association.

6th European Ranger Congress
2025-10-06 - 2025-10-10 | Resort Cheile Grădiștei, Brașov county, România, Brasov County, Romania
We are excited to welcome more than 260 rangers and conservationists with close relations to ranger work to our 6th European Ranger Congress (ERC) from 6 to 10 October 2025 in Romania, hosted in cooperation with the Romanian Ranger Association (ARR) and Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC) in the immediate vicinity of Piatra Craiului National Park. Its theme will be

“Rangers – the Voice of Nature
Building a Bridge between Local Communities and Nature Conservation”

To be informed about all details of the 6th European Ranger Congress, please visit the congress website, set up by FCC: europeanrangercongress.europeanrangers.org/

HELP US HELPING RANGERS WITH THE 6TH ERC RANGER COIN
Buy a memory of the 6th ERC and support other rangers with the 6th ERC Ranger Coin at the same time!

REVISION OF ERF STATUTES
See the proposed update of the ERF Statutes to be discussed at the General Assembly here.

SOLIDARITY RAFFLE
During the congress, we will be holding a solidarity raffle in aid of the Thin Green Line Foundation (TGLF). The raffle will feature donated items and experiences. All proceeds will go directly to TGLF projects supporting rangers worldwide. There will also be special prizes funded by the congress budget and partners (not from raffle proceeds). This time, the solidarity raffle also offers a special Mystery Prize, which is the result of collaboration between the European Ranger Federation and the Latin American Ranger Federation. So, stay tuned and find out more on our channels soon!

IUCN World Conservation Congress
2025-10-09 - 2025-10-15 | Abu Dhabi
The IUCN World Conservation Congress will tackle five critical themes, each driving the bold, transformative change needed to secure a sustainable future for both nature and humanity:

Scaling Up Resilient Conservation Action
Reducing Climate Overshoot Risks
Delivering on Equity
Transitioning to Nature-Positive Economies and Societies
Disruptive Innovation and Leadership for Conservation

IUCN is committed to making the Congress as accessible as possible by offering a two-tiered fee structure. Lower registration fees are available for participants from Low- and Middle-Income countries (as per the World Bank Classification) and for young professionals and youth.
To participate in the IUCN Congress 2025, participants can choose between two registration formats:
In-person registration and Virtual-only registration.
More details and registration here.

LAUNCH OF IUCN REWILDING GUIDELINES
The congress will also stage the launch of the first-ever IUCN Rewilding Guidelines after this webinar (exclusively for participants):
Transforming Rewilding: Guidelines for Resilient Conservation and Nature-Positive Economies
According to Rewilding Europe, that has contributed to these guidelines, this launch will be an important step for rewilding at a global level.

Webinar: Assessing Social Outcomes of Nature Protection and Restoration Projects
2025-10-21 - 2026-10-21
The EUROPARC Federation and the University of Warwick launched the SOCIAT Training Course. It is aimed at conservation practitioners such as rangers to help them assess social outcomes of nature protection and restoration projects.
SOCIAT survey is a structured questionnaire providing evidence-based insights to:
✅ Black Forest National Park (Schwarzwald) in Germany
✅ Triglav National Park in Slovenia
✅ Sighișoara-Târnava Mare Natura 2000 protected area in Romania
The course provides a step-by-step guidance on the application process, explanations of the indicators, and standards for analysing the collected social data.
Designed for Protected Areas practitioners – guides, rangers, managers, technical staff and NGOs – this training helps ensure that community voices are part of conservation decisions.
All lessons and quizzes of this online self-paced course are in English, and the only requirement is that participants should be involved in conservation initiatives.
https://www.europeannatureacademy.com/course/sociat-training

Webinar: Rewilding & Tourism
2025-11-05 11:00 - 12:15
Join Rewilding Europe’s webinar to explore how tourism can strengthen rewilding and discover inspiring examples from across Europe.
This webinar is free and open for everyone! Register here
Tourism can be an important tool to help rewilding initiatives become financially resilient, while also inspiring and engaging people with nature.
In this open webinar, you will hear from rewilding practitioners who are already integrating tourism into their rewilding work. They will share practical experiences, challenges, and lessons learned on how tourism can create added value for nature, local communities, and visitors alike.
Alongside their stories, Rewilding Europe will share perspectives on tourism as part of its wider work to support rewilding initiatives across Europe.

Programme highlights:

Insights from Rewilding Europe on tourism and financial resilience
Presentations from three members of the European Rewilding Network on their tourism work
Q&A session moderated by Andrea Gay, Enterprise Manager at Rewilding Europe

Why join?

Learn from concrete examples of rewilding and tourism in practice
Get inspired to think about tourism as a tool for scaling up rewilding
