Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia

World Ranger Day celebrated on July 31

World Ranger Day has been celebrated in Tbilisi National Park. The Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Mr. Levan Davitashvili together with the Ambassador of the United States of America to Georgia, Mrs. Kelly Degnan congratulated rangers on their professional day and handed over symbolic gifts to them.
 
The representatives of the Government of Georgia, diplomatic corps and international organizations attended the event.

 
The Agency of Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture has been celebrating the Rangers' Professional Day since 2017. The agency has awarded more than 100 rangers with certificates of appreciation and cash prizes for their outstanding contributions to the protection and development of protected areas. The families of rangers killed in the line of duty got compensation.  


"I am pleased, that we are celebrating this important date - World Ranger Day and taking part in the celebration of the International Day of Rangers. I believe, that this tradition will continue forever. We have hero rangers, who have sacrificed their lives in the line of duty. Unfortunately, the risks related to ranger activities are never-ending, including forest fires.

I would like to express my gratitude to rangers for coping with all challenges heroically. This year, the main theme of the World Rangers Day is the welfare and well-being of rangers.
Since 2013, we have been concerning over the improvement of their economic, material and social conditions and this is the merit of the donor organizations, which are taking their best efforts not only for the development of protected areas, but also improving rangers’ economic, social or technical conditions.
 
I would like to wish you a safe job and a good health and protect an important part of the wealth of our country, which is under your responsibility  "said the Minister of Environmental Protection and Agriculture.
 
According to the US Ambassador to Georgia, Mrs. Kelly Degnan, rangers are doing a lot to protect the environment; they are making their contribution to the economic development of the country.
 
"Today we had a wonderful opportunity to appreciate and mark the vital contribution of rangers for taking tremendous steps to protect and preserve Georgia’s nature’’ said Mrs. Kelly Degnan.

Up to four hundred rangers of twenty one administrative divisions of Georgia are protecting the unique treasures, natural attractions and protected areas of our country. The rangers are preventing the poaching, dealing with the fires caused by either negligent or intentional conduct, conducting monitoring of biodiversity, taking care for cleanliness and if necessary providing assistance to visitors. 800,000 hectares of the territory of Georgia are under the protection of our rangers..

 It’s worth mentioning, that Giorgi Abramishvili, a senior ranger looking after the Batsara-Babaneuri Protected Area in Georgia's east, has been named among 10 best recipients worldwide. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the World Commission on Protected Areas have awarded the Georgian Ranger to the International Ranger Award.

In accordance with the unified policy developed by the Government of Georgia and with the support of donor organizations, the state takes continuous care of rangers, their working conditions are improving annually and their salaries are gradually increasing. Moreover, rangers are provided with food allowances, appropriate insurance packages and work outfits. Ultimately, families of the rangers who died in the line of duty receive monthly financial aid.
The Ranger Professional Day established by the International Federation of Rangers was celebrated for the first time globally in 2007.