#WRC2019NEPAL - Day 2: November 13

#WRC2019NEPAL

Day 2: And the conversations continue...

The day began with some participants enjoying boat adventures in Chitwan National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
© Ranjan Ramchandani

PLENARY 1: RANGERS AND COMMUNITIES

Experts shared insights and best practices to address ‘conservation conflict’ which occurs when conservation priorities are not aligned with local community rights. Common solutions are needed which create a strong bridge between ranger institutions and the communities they serve based on communication, respect and dignity in advancing a shared goal to protect nature.
© Ranjan Ramchandani

PLENARY 2: INDIGENOUS COMMUNITIES

Here are a few sound bites from Plenary Session C: Indigenous Community

Eddie Smallwood

Ranger coordinator of the Gudjuda Indigenuous Land and Sea Rangers Program.
© Ranjan Ramchandani

"There are about 2000 rangers in Australia and what keeps our work going is that we constantly engage in dialogue and mix the knowledge of indigenous rangers with others and this is what has really helped us maintain our relation and clinch conservation successes."

Ghana Shyam Gurung

WWF Nepal, Country Representative
© Ranjan Ramchandani

"We should take pride in our culture and mix the indigenous knowledge we have with science to yield best results for mother earth. In Nepal, inclusive constitution that recognises indigenous groups has restored our faith and pride in conservation, as a result, more people are taking an interest in becoming rangers – but the government needs to pay attention on equipping them. "

Sofia Chavarria Chinchilla

Costa Rican Ranger
© Ranjan Ramchandani

"With environmental laws in place, we feel that we, the indigenous communities in Costa Rica, have received good political support. Our National Conservation Strategy 2016-25 includes a participatory and an inclusive approach that ensures our communities’ rights and representation at all levels."

SHORT STORIES OF THE DAY

Waiatahirere (Hirere) Ngamoki

New Zealand
When Hirere Nagamoki came face to face with Machapuchare (Fishtail) mountain in Pokhara, Nepal a couple days ago, she recalls feeling hooked.
"I woke up to the sight of the mountain everyday and something about it drew me. When I learned the name meant fishtail in Nepali, I felt even more connected. My last name in Māori means 'Moki' which is the name of a common fish in New Zealand."
She captured that connection in ink before she left Pokhara. But there's a catch: The tattoo is unfinished. When she returns home, she plans to tattoo two mountains adjacent to it—Pokhinu and Te Hutinga a Manu, the areas she works to protect.
By literally drawing a bridge between Nepal and New Zealand on her arm, Hirere hopes the tattoo will encourage reflection about her time here at the Congress and in the country.
Hirere is here representing New Zealand, where she works as an Indigenous ranger. Her biggest takeaway from this Congress (aside from the ink) is a reminder that while Rangers across the world can share similar experiences, their experiences are far from universal.
"Being here at the Congress has really put my ranger life into perspective. Experiences really vary across countries and regions. My life as a ranger is very easy compared to some other countries and that was an important reminder."

James Kirunda

Uganda

In his eight years of experience as a ranger in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda, James Kirunda has one stand-out memory that continues to influence the way he approaches his work. But he doesn't remember half of it.
"It was around 4 pm in May 2015 on an especially rainy day. My fellow rangers and I were performing one of our regular extended patrols. This involves scaling across 1,978 km² of the park, which is home to 4 out of 5 of the big game animals. While we were near a neighbouring province, I heard the sound of a bullet in the air. Our team started moving towards the direction of the sound. We were crawling with our noses to the ground in extended file as bullets could fly at anytime—inching closer to the sound. What we saw in the distance stopped us in our tracks: It was a group of poachers removing ivory from one of our elephants. An armed poacher happened to be directly within my range. When he shot the bullet, I jumped in front of a termite hill."
The last thing James remembers hearing is someone yelling, "That ranger is dead." And the last thing he remembers thinking about is Peterson, his then only 2-month-old son.
While James lost consciousness, the team subdued the situation, confiscated three guns, and were able to retrieve the ivory before the poachers fled the scene. And the positive news continued: James regained consciousness a couple hours later with no bullet injuries. The trauma caused by the event, however, lasted years.
"It took me two years to come back to full sense. I kept recalling the scene and what I remember from it. For me, though, this is part of the work. I do what I do because I care about it. I couldn't imagine a reality without elephants. They seek and deserve justice."

Lionel Delgado

Costa Rica

With 28 national parks and 26% of the country under protected areas, the importance of safeguarding Costa Rica's natural assets couldn't be overstated. The task requires persistence, innovation, and front liners like Lionel Delgado.
Delgado has been working as a Costa Rican ranger for the past 14 years. Among various other activities and approaches, Lionel's team targets two primary stakeholders: the next generation and local communities.
"It's important for the next generation, especially from local communities, to meet and engage with those at the forefront of park protection. They not only get the message of conservation, they also get inspired."
Their Environmental Educators program is a platform for rangers to share experiences with local school children. Lionel and his team host or initiate at least one program a month. The team also engages local communities through research. One of the programs they initiated included a Bird Count: Local communities were capacitated and trained to identify and count birds in certain areas.
"It's important that you consider all areas of conservation and that you form a complete circle in your approach."

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