Conservation Rangers Urgently Need Mental Health Provision

© Mahmood Soofi

Our study highlights the psychological pressures facing conservation rangers globally and proposes four priority actions: First, Routine mental health monitoring Second, Formal recognition of rangers as essential workers Third, Sustainable financing Fourth, Institutional wellbeing support.

Why this matters: Rangers face violence, isolation, and extreme stress. Supporting ranger wellbeing is not only an ethical responsibility it is essential for effective biodiversity conservation and sustainable protected area management.

See the full paper here: Soofi, M., Bergseth, B., Ingram, J. D., Mundy, E., Pienkowski, D., Fisher, C. J., Zielonka, B. N, Klarmann, S., Serge Bobo, K., Kuiper, T., Ervin, J., Singh, R., Sharma, S., Roberts, L. D., Ghoddousi, A., Durant, M. S., St John, V. A.F., Waltert, M., Kümmerle T. (2026), Conservation Rangers Urgently Need Mental Health Provision. Conservation Letters19, no. 2: e70036.