Rangers

Parks Egypt rangers have backgrounds in various academic fields and are ranked as senior or junior rangers depending upon their qualifications and level of experience. Community guards hired from local populations living in or adjacent to the protected areas work with the rangers and complement their activities.

Backgrounds of the rangers include zoology, botany, geology, anthropology, medicine and veterinary medicine. And in addition to their own fields of specialization they undertake a wide range of tasks including law enforcement, administration, monitoring and research, as well as education, communications and public relations.

Responsibilities

Rangers are responsible for managing every aspect of their protected area from conducting scientific research to guiding visitors from around the world. Their main responsibilities include:

  • Patrolling and monitoring the park.
  • Reporting to Parks Egypt central management and evaluating program results.
  • Issuing licenses and permits for activities that need to be regulated.
  • Promoting public awareness and education at all levels of interaction, including for local communities, visitors, and the general public.

Management Tools

Monitoring and research are the primary sources for directing and adjusting management. Good protectorate management needs good information. Monitoring generally involves the collection of data over time with the objective of detecting changes in a particular situation. For example, the rangers are able to detect whether certain activities are having a negative impact on particular resources, which provides timely warning of deterioration in conservation status and allows for remedial action.

Zoning helps Parks Egypt management designate areas for specific activities such as scientific research, recreation, ecotourism, quarrying or fishing. Areas are classified according to their need for protection, the level of management required and the area's capacity to sustain traditional, public or commercial use.

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are an increasingly useful tool for compiling, correlating and interpreting spatial data. Parks Egypt management teams are developing their capacities for GIS monitoring and using its applications in mapping and tracking human uses and impacts, as well as for mapping flora and fauna.

Community Guards

A unique staffing solution was pioneered by managers at St. Katherine Protectorate, the employment of community guards who are indigenous inhabitants of the area. This practice is increasing in Parks Egypt and there are now community guards in seven other protected areas. These individuals bring invaluable knowledge of their traditional areas to Parks Egypt management, and ensure that communication channels between the Nature Conservation Sector and local communities are open, dynamic and creative.