Rangers are conservation’s frontline defenders—monitoring wildlife, preventing poaching, fighting fires, conducting research, and engaging communities, often with little recognition and enormous risk. In the past 15 years alone, more than 1,500 rangers have been killed on duty.
Since 2021, the IUCN WCPA International Ranger Award has allocated $630,000, directly benefitting 375 rangers and indirectly supporting countless ranger families, protected area staff, and local communities. The Award, presented at the 2025 World Conservation Congress in Abu Dhabi, celebrates those who exemplify incredible courage and dedication while facing extraordinary challenges to safeguard the planet’s most at-risk wild spaces.
The recipients of the 2025 IUCN-WCPA International Ranger Awards are:
- Rodrigue Katembo Mugaruka, Deputy Park Manager, Virunga National Park, Democratic Republic of Congo – recognized for courageously defending DRC territory against corruption and exploitation.
- Tuzlovski Lymany National Nature Park Ranger Team, Ukraine (seven members) – recognized for valiantly protecting Ukraine’s estuaries and wildlife during ongoing conflict.
- Al Shouf Cedars Nature Reserve Ranger Team, Lebanon (10 members) – recognized for defending Lebanon’s forests while empowering surrounding communities.
- Union-Palm Island Environmental Alliance Rangers Team, St Vincent and the Grenadines (seven members) – recognized for relentlessly maintaining conservation work following natural disaster.
- Lazizbek Khasanov, Head of the Department for Monitoring the Use of Resources, Ugam-Chatkal State National Park, Uzbekistan – recognized for diligently combating logging and poaching as a young ranger.
- Benjamin Yworega Bassono, Anti-Poaching Coordinator, Pô-Nazinga-Sissili Protected Areas Complex, Burkina Faso – recognized for expertly directing extensive anti-poaching and habitat restoration programs.
- Benson Kanyembo, Law Enforcement Advisor, South Luangwa, Zambia – recognized for consistently protecting Zambian wildlife and mentoring scouts over thirty years.
- Jampel Lhendup, Forest Ranger, Royal Manas National Park, Bhutan – recognized for rehabilitating endangered species and turning poachers into conservation advocates.
- Kiunga Marine National Reserve Ranger Team, Kenya (six members) – recognized for effectively protecting coral reefs, mangroves, and marine ecosystems throughout island areas.
- Allée des Baobabs Protection and Management Team, Madagascar (10 members) – recognized for boldly defending Madagascar’s forests against fire and human encroachment.
- Safarbi Davlatova, Forest Protection Inspector, Dashtijum Nature Reserve, Tajikistan – recognized for championing gender equality while conserving critically endangered species.
- Saidvaa National Park and southern Parvar Protected Area Ranger Team, Iran (nine members) – recognized for persistently addressing social and ecological obstacles to further conservation goals.
- Punta Patiño Private Natural Reserve Ranger Team, Panamá (seven members) – recognized for reliably safeguarding 30,000 hectares of rainforest, mangroves, and coastal areas.
These awards do more than honor individual commitment—they raise global awareness of rangers’ critical role, motivate others through real-life stories, and provide tangible support that helps recipients continue their vital work. Every exceptional ranger recognized represents thousands more protecting our planet’s blue and green spaces for nature and humanity alike.