Adelaide gives the ‘green light’ to celebrate World Ranger Day

Held on 31 July each year, World Ranger Day is about celebrating and thanking park rangers for the important work they do in protecting the planet’s national treasures and cultural heritage.

Rangers perform a huge variety of roles including controlling pest animal and plants, protecting biodiversity and cultural heritage, fire management and welcoming visitors and tourists to our national parks and reserves.

National Parks and Wildlife Service SA employs more than 150 rangers across the state, protecting and conserving a network of more than 350 parks and reserves.

National Parks and Wildlife Manager, Adelaide and Mount Lofty Ranges, Tony Magor said our park rangers are at the forefront of conservation efforts in South Australia, managing national parks, supporting visitor experiences and caring for wildlife.

“No two days are the same for our dedicated team of park rangers. They take on everything from aerial operations to wildlife surveys, school presentations, infrastructure maintenance, landscape protection, welcoming tourists and much more,” Mr Magor said.

“A lot of this work is done in extreme weather conditions and remote locations, so it is important to stop and celebrate our rangers’ role in preserving and promoting our environmental assets.

“I thank all our wonderful rangers throughout the state for the great contribution they make to protecting our environment.”

National parks in South Australia cover 21.1 million hectares – approximately 21.6% of the state’s landmass and 31% of the coastline.

About eight out of 10 South Australians visit a national park at least once a year. Total visitations, including tourists, contribute at least $374 million to the state’s economy each year and support more than 1200 private sector jobs.

World Ranger Day also commemorates rangers around the world who have been killed or injured in the line of duty. Globally, an average of 150 rangers per year die in the line of duty.