IRF World Ranger Congress

The IRF World Ranger Congress brings together Rangers from all over the world, giving them the opportunity to learn new skills, share knowledge and create partnerships. It occurs every three years in a different location, allowing host countries from each IRF region to raise the profile of Rangers locally and internationally. It allows them to showcase their successes, to identify how they’re addressing their regional challenges and share their knowledge and skills with colleagues from around the world.

Attending a congress like this is a once in a life time opportunity for many Rangers; meeting colleagues from around the world gives Rangers hope and boosts their morale. Often their jobs are located in remote and isolated areas where they don’t have a lot of contact with the world family of Rangers. They don’t often have the opportunity to exchange stories and learn from others that may be located half way across the world.

The IRF World Ranger Congress is also a forum for the creation of recommendations on issues that affect Rangers and the work that they do on the front-line. Having these challenges come directly from Rangers makes the message more powerful; the recommendations are presented at conservation forums globally.

10th IRF World Ranger Congress – France 2024

The latest IRF World Ranger Congress was held in Hyeres France between the 7th and 11th October 2024. The Congress was hosted by Gardes Nature de France. The 10th IRF WRC focused on the contributions and evolution of the ranger profession to achieve target 3 of the Global Biodiversity Framework.

Further information can be found on the IRF World Ranger Congress website here .

2024 10th IRF World Ranger Congress Flag Ceremony (Ranjan Ramchandani/ WWF)

11th IRF World Ranger Congress – Argentina 2027

The next IRF World Ranger Congress will be held at Puerto Iguazu in Argentina. It will be hosted by the Sindicato de Guardaparques Nacionales de la República Argentina (SIGUNARA).

The announcement was made on the final day of the 10th IRF World Ranger Congress at Hyeres.

Chris Galliers, IRF President, congratulating Antuel Sánchez, National Park Ranger and General Secretary of the National Park Rangers Union of the Argentine Republic (SIGUNARA) on hosting the 2027 11th IRF World Ranger Congress. (Andy Davies)