Beach clean-ups, saving animal lives, working with others and volunteer rangering to protect nature: the entries to our 1st European Ranger Volunteer Photo Contest show how diverse the contribution of volunteers in nature conservation is.
We want to honour the many unpaid hours of their commitment with our contest. Here you can find an overview of all the entries so far, before our jury starts the difficult task of choosing the winners after 13 October 2023.
But now, join us in being impressed by the stories and photos of the conservation volunteers:
“Volunteers cleaning sea-borne rubbish from a remote beach in Cornwall. The beach is called ‘Strangles beach’ and is reached by a steep path on a cliff. The volunteers in the photo are happy to reach half way up the cliff. It’s an arduous task which is made possible by having many willing volunteers.”
Jeff Cherrington, National Trust, for the volunteers who help the rangers working in North Cornwall, UK
“Sea turtle on the way to the open sea.”
Yair Efrat, Volunteer for the Sea Turtle Rescue Center of Israel Nature and Parks Authority
“Supporting a brown sea turtle to hatch from the egg. Every year from mid-May until the middle of August hundreds of volunteers scan the Israeli shoreline every morning for brown and green sea turtle nests in order to secure the eggs and increase the turtle’s population. The volunteers help the turtles that have difficulty hatching from the egg and reaching the sea.“
Moti Levin, Volunteer for the Sea Turtle Support Team of Israel Nature and Parks Authority
“My main activity is carried out with the Kamishibai, a Japanese theater that involves children a lot. Basically I tell the kids stories about nature and then ask them to do it too. So the kids invent wonderful stories, draw them, make the script and represent them to their parents or other students. I collaborate with the guys from the Italian Red Cross and I often talk to them about climate change.”
Armando Di Marino, Volunteer Ranger in Vico Lake Nature Reserve, Italy
“Hatching Inspection – most of the turtles in our care are the endangered Loggerhead Sea Turtles (Caretta caretta). One of my volunteer tasks was to stand guard at night at a hatchery in a coastal nature reserve and regularly check the nests for hatching. Once hatched, the volunteers help the young to reach the Mediterranean waters safely. I took this selfie with a long exposure while using a red torch to check the nests for new hatchlings. The use of white light is strictly forbidden on the farm.“
Doron Talmi, volunteer for Israel Nature and Parks Authority’s campaign for support and recovery of sea turtles’ population in the eastern Mediterranean basin
“When I’m out and about as a volunteer ranger in the national park, I love photographing the little things. Mushrooms, beetles, the whole variety of species in the microcosm is often underestimated and photographs help me to bring them closer to my environment. Unfortunately I can only submit one photo, so you cannot see the result.”
Martin Rebbe, Volunteer Ranger in Black Forest National Park, Germany
“A volunteer takes care of a sea turtle. The Sea Turtle Rescue Center provides treatment for sea turtles in distress. The turtles are injured in various ways and come to treatment and rehabilitation. At the end of the treatment, they are set free back to the sea.“
Galit Harpaz Yaniv, volunteer at The Sea Turtle Rescue Center, Israel
“I volunteer at the Israel Nature and Parks Authority. I initiated groups to clean Zikim beach at the southern coast of the country.”
Ruthie Reuven, volunteer at Israel Nature and Parks Authority
“After a winter storm, at the beach Nachal Sorek, part of the Soreq Stream Estuary National Park in Israel, we cleaned it with a group of young surfers. They were wearing pirate costumes because of our ‘Purim festival’ (like Halloween). I liked this photo because of the combination of the interesting winter view and the young volunteers helping to keep the nature they enjoy clean.”
Smadar Nitzan, volunteer at Israel Nature and Parks Authority
“Doing a beach clean-up with Tikkun HaYam – Repair the Sea.”
Alexandra Feldman, volunteer at Tikkun HaYam
“While volunteering on a hot day, I met an injured bird, carefully picked it up from the area, gave it a drink and took it to medical treatment.”
Yechiam Dahan, volunteer at Israel Nature and Parks Authority
JOIN OUR 1ST ERF VOLUNTEER PHOTO CONTEST
“VOLUNTEERING IS IN MY NATURE”
This year, we would like to pay special tribute to the tireless and dedicated service provided across protected areas day after day: With a photo competition on volunteering in nature conservation for all volunteer rangers in our member organisations.
We collect your photo entries until October 13 and publish them regularly in advance on our channels. After that, it will be up to the jury to select the three winners. The Award ceremony will take place in an extra online session on December 5, 2023, the international Volunteer Day.
Please check out all the details for participation, jury and prices here or participate directly: bit.ly/3L1LzYW
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