article / 27 January 2021

New Paper: Empowering Rangers Through Technology and Innovation

This month, WILDLABS member Drew Cronin shared the new paper "Empowering rangers through technology and innovation." This collaborative effort included several members of the WILDLABS community and leadership, and explores the needs of wildlife rangers around the world, as well as how technology, training, and building tech capacity can support those needs. Download the paper here.

In this paper, Drew and his collaborators explore the current state of conservation technology options through the lens of rangers' needs and experiences, and provide recommendations for the Universal Ranger Support Alliance based on these findings.

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Photo by James Slade

Many of the recommendations for the Universal Ranger Support Alliance involve increased support for rangers, both in terms of familiarizing rangers with available technologies and providing training, and finding opportunities for rangers to have access to these needed tools.

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Other recommendations focus on engagement and the role of the tech sector in developing technologies with rangers' needs in mind.


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Photo by James Slade

And significantly, this paper also focuses on the importance of traditional skills in rangers' work, highlighting the need for technology to complement these tools and skills rather than aim to replace them.

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Read more and download the full paper here.


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