In just over six months, it will be high time again for the international ranger community from Europe and beyond. Gain and exchange ranger knowledge, network, reunite with old friends and make new ones: As a networking platform for rangers standing in for and learning from each others, the 6th European Ranger Congress (ERC) will bring together more than 200 rangers and conservationists in the Brașov region, Romania, from 6 to 10 October 2025. Register now on the freshly launched website by Foundation Conservation Carpathia!
‘Rangers – the Voice of Nature: Building a Bridge between Local Communities and Nature Conservation’. Under this congress theme, we and our cooperation partners – the Romanian Ranger Association (ARR) and the Foundation Conservation Carpathia (FCC) – organised a programme of plenary speeches, workshops, excursions, themed coffees and lots of opportunities for the participants to network in between. Congress venue will be the Cheile Grădiștei Complex in Moieciu, just an hour’s ride southwest of the metropolitan city of Brașov.
Empowering rangers to build bridges between locals and conservation
Whether we look at the central goal 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, to protect 30 percent of the planet by 2030 (30×30), or the many other international conservation goals: They can only be realised with the acceptance of the local population that is directly affected by them. Involving them, looking for ways on an equal footing that work for people and nature and thus help to alleviate the major natural crises in the long term: This is becoming increasingly important for rangers throughout Europe in their daily work.
The 6th European Ranger Congress will look at the different aspects of how rangers contribute to integrating local needs, knowledge and heritage into nature conservation. Looking at the many ways in which rangers reconnect people with nature, protecting both natural and cultural heritage, participants will learn from best practice, discuss challenges and find solutions to strengthen the role of rangers as bridge builders.
Rangers: the Voice of Nature
From subtle keystone species to more controversial species such as wolves, bears and lynx – rangers are also needed on our continent to protect biodiversity and natural habitats. In addition to practical nature conservation, one of the many tasks of rangers in our densely populated landscapes is becoming increasingly important: they mediate between people and nature and are the first point of contact. And, as rangers often come from the communities themselves, they are vital in recruiting more locals as rangers, of which we still lack 1.5 million worldwide to meet global conservation goals.
All of those political strategies remain paper without those who implement it on the ground – rangers. But also in Europe, rangers are still understaffed, under-equipped, underpaid and lack adequate training. To tackle our major natural crises of climate change and biodiversity loss through implementing sustainability and nature conservation concepts, it is therefore the urgent duty of our society to adequately equip and empower rangers as ambassadors and voices of nature.
Romania – perfect venue for the 6th European Ranger Congress
We will make this voice heard with the 6th European Ranger Congress. The Carpathian Mountains, with the largest contiguous area of forest in Europe, including primeval forests of inestimable value for climate and biodiversity protection, are an ideal setting for such a congress. And also the in-depth experience of rangers and conservation practitioners of our congress partners in enabling coexistence between humans and wildlife was decisive for us in choosing Romania as congress venue. All the more so in view of the FCC’s flagship project: establishing Europe’s largest national park with the involvement of local communities.
Register for the 6th European Ranger Congress 2025
To attend the 6th European Ranger Congress, you can register via the congress website: www.europeanrangercongress.europeanrangers.org. Here you will find all the details about online registration and the congress programme, which is still being finalised and will be updated regularly. Join us to make the voices of rangers heard as voices of nature and take rangers’ work for people and nature a giant step forward!
About the ERC organisers
European Ranger Federation
The European Ranger Federation (ERF) is a non-profit organisation based in Germany that supports non-governmental and governmental ranger associations and groups as well as individual rangers from the sovereign states of Europe in their work under the umbrella of the International Ranger Federation. Our aim is to support the work of rangers in protecting biodiversity, implementing nature conservation in the field, mediating between nature conservation and human use of nature, and preserving our cultural and natural heritage. and for the preservation of our cultural and natural heritage and to improve it.
ERF represents close to 6,000 members of more than 40 national ranger associations and NGOs supporting rangers. We have established exchange formats such as twinning partnerships between countries or international training courses. By also supporting the establishment of new associations as well as training and networking individual rangers in need, we reach more than 25,000 rangers on our continent.
Learn more about ERF’s work here: www.europeanrangers.org
Foundation Conservation Carpathia
The Foundation Conservation Carpathia is the largest nature conservation project in Europe, contributing to the restoration of natural ecosystems in the Carpathian Mountains for the benefit of biodiversity and local communities. Since 2009, the Romanian foundation has rescued more than 27,000 hectares of forests and alpine meadows in the south-eastern Southern Carpathians from logging, acquired them for conservation purposes, planted more than 4 million saplings on 1,991 hectares affected by clear-cutting, created a 78,000 hectare no hunting area for sport and trophy hunting.
The foundation contributes to the well-being of communities neighboring protected forests through social, education and green business development projects, and its long-term vision is the creation of the Făgăraș Mountains National Park. The work of the Foundation Conservation Carpathia is recognised nationally and internationally, with the organisation recently receiving the BAMBI trophy, Germany’s most important media award in the ‘Our Planet’ category.
Learn more about the Foundation’s work here: www.carpathia.org
Romanian Ranger Association
The Romanian Ranger Association (ARR) is a non-governmental organization created in 1996, dedicated to the protection and preservation of Romania’s cultural and natural heritage. ARR promotes the ranger profession and advocates for the recognition of the role rangers play in the conservation of biodiversity. The organization draws attention to the high standards necessary to fulfill this role. ARR is actively involved in international exchanges of experience and invests in the training of protected area managers in Romania.
Learn more about ARR’s work here: www.ranger.ro