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From Community Leaders to Trackers: Celebrating the Female Rangers Redefining the Front Line of Conservation
June 2026
This World Female Ranger Week, United for Wildlife celebrates the courage and leadership of women on the frontlines of conservation.
From 23–30 June, World Female Ranger Week shines a spotlight on an important reality: fewer than 11% of the planet’s roughly 286,000 wildlife rangers are women. United for Wildlife and its partners are proud to stand alongside these remarkable individuals, recognising the strength and resilience they bring to the frontline of wildlife protection.
From South Africa to Indonesia, Nepal, and Saudi Arabia, while numbers remain low, the skill and passion driving these women in conservation are needed more than ever.
The momentum for more female-only units is spreading. From Saudi Arabia, where the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve is home to the Middle East’s first all-female ranger corps, the Al Anqas (“the Phoenix”), alongside the region’s first all-female sea rangers patrolling 170 km of Red Sea coastline to protect biodiverse coral reefs and endangered marine life, to the Isles of Mull and Iona in Scotland, where women are leading efforts to protect landscapes, manage wildlife, and connect communities and visitors with nature.
In places like Ardura Community Forest in Scotland, this impact is felt first-hand. Female rangers work closely with children and their parents, creating space for outdoor learning experiences that inspire confidence, and a deeper understanding of the natural world.
Stories like these demonstrate that the role of a female ranger extends far beyond frontline protection of wildlife. It is a role rooted in service, education, and connection. Their work is enriching how we think about conservation, expanding it to something more inclusive, people-centred, and collaborative. In doing so, they are redefining what leadership in the environmental space can look like.
All rangers deserve to be celebrated, yet this week, the focus is on the women whose work on the frontlines is far from faint-hearted. United for Wildlife is proud to honour them as they protect the world’s wildlife.
