A thin green line spins around Planet Earth. A line upon which environmental custodians stand as one. A line which protects, conserves and nurtures the world’s greatest asset: our environment.
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Tragically, it’s a line from which many have fallen – slain, maimed in the line of duty defending the natural values of the conservation estate. In doing so, making the ultimate sacrifice.
Each year we reflect on those whose lives have been lost. We pause to remember the enormous contribution these guardians made. To honour the fallen, their families and their colleagues, who bravely continue to maintain this thin green line.
For example, one day last year Wayne Lotter went to work in Tanzania. He never went home. His vehicle was stopped and he was fatally shot.
Wayne was a former vice president of the International Ranger Federation and a former Thin Green Line Foundation board member. It is said that he was a man who loved wild places, working tirelessly to protect elephants in his beloved Africa.
His death is a poignant reminder that over the last 10 years more than 1000 environmental custodians have been killed. A large percentage fell at the hands of commercial poachers or armed militia. Around our globe, rangers daily put their lives at risk conserving threatened species from illegal hunters, protecting wild places and battling raging bushfires.
World Ranger Day offers an opportunity to commemorate those killed and injured in the line of duty. It’s also a good day to recognise all rangers as they go about their daily work.
World Ranger Day is celebrated annually by associations aligned with the International Ranger Federation, The Thin Green Line Foundation and by organisations, community groups and individuals who simply support the wonderful work of rangers.
This Sunday, the ACT Parks and Conservation Service will screen the internationally acclaimed documentary The Thin Green Line at the Namadgi National Park Visitor Centre. Filmed in 23 countries over 12 months, the film beautifully captures the personal stories of nature’s protectors and offers a sense of hope. After the screening, join our rangers for a fundraising sausage sizzle for The Thin Green Line’s outreach programs. Festivities kick off from 10am.
Please also join us in Garema Place for World Ranger Day next Tuesday, July 31 at 12.30pm as we continue to raise much-needed funds for the foundation.
To learn more about this powerful global initiative visit Home - The Thin Green Line Foundation
- Brett McNamara is with ACT Parks & Conservation Service.
