Adventurer Holly Budge launches World Female Ranger Week (June 23-30th, 2024) to amplify the impact of female wildlife rangers on a global stage. This ground-breaking global awareness week, spearheaded by international NGO, How Many Elephants (HME) celebrates and supports female wildlife rangers – They’re bold, changing the game and paving the way for women to stand alongside men at the forefront of conservation, but they need allies.

The pioneering World Female Ranger Week (WFRW) includes online and live events, plus a fundraising platform – http://www.worldfemalerangerweek.org – to raise vital funds for the ranger teams and share their stories.

The founder of How Many Elephants and World Female Ranger Week, Holly Budge says, “having patrolled with multiple ranger teams in Africa, I’ve seen first-hand how these bold women are impacting lives; Protecting wildlife, uplifting communities and empowering other women. WFRW highlights the significant gender imbalance in environmental conservation. My team and I will continue collating gender-specific data about female rangers globally, enabling us to identify their needs, find tangible solutions and help build effective policies to contribute towards positive outcomes; for female rangers and conservation as a whole.”

As champions of wildlife conservation, as role models, as educators and as beacons of hope, female rangers are not only transforming attitudes towards the role of women around the world; they are showing the capabilities and success of females in traditionally male roles. However, less than 11% of the global wildlife ranger workforce is female. With women being natural communicators, protectors and investing their earned income in their families, bringing gender equality into the workforce enhances community conservation efforts and relationships. Over the last two years, the pandemic has crippled tourism and funding for conservation projects globally. The lack of tourists visiting National Parks has led to many rangers losing their jobs or having significant salary cuts. The knock-on effect of this is huge. For example, one ranger in Africa may support up to 16 family members. Additionally, reduced vigilance in tourist hotspots has left wildlife even more vulnerable to poaching.

So, the often-challenging work of rangers is paramount right now. Day and night, female rangers patrol wilderness areas, monitoring wildlife, seizing snares, working with communities and in some cases, arresting poachers, all to save iconic species from extinction. They are away from their families for long periods, sometimes facing workplace security issues and battling social stigma. Many of these inspirational women have overcome adversity, poverty and marginalisation. Becoming a ranger has empowered them, turned them into breadwinners and property owners, and has allowed them access to higher education and much-needed healthcare. They need our support to continue their vital work.

June 23rd-30th 2024 (and annually)

World Female Ranger Week is seeking long-term strategic partnerships with companies, associations, and global citizens to expand the campaign’s reach to strengthen the support of female rangers. Businesses and individuals can set up fundraising pages via worldfemalerangerweek.org.

For updates, follow @worldfemalerangerweek on Instagram and Facebook, @femalerangerwk on Twitter, or use hashtag, #worldfemalerangerweek.