Short Communication: Governance type bias in global ranger survey: Implications for relevance and analogous future works

Abstract

A growing body of literature explores rangers’ perceptions and experiences of implementing conservation activities. In particular, the Global Ranger Perception Survey, carried out by the WWF, is the largest global assessment of ranger perceptions and experiences of working conditions in protected and conserved areas, providing insights into various aspects of the profession of rangers. Nevertheless, when the ranger perception survey data was associated with site governance type, we found that the survey is dominated by protected and conserved areas governed by government agencies (81 per cent) while sites with Indigenous and community governance were poorly represented (10 per cent) despite the vast area under this form of governance globally. These biases in governance mean that the survey data will be less relevant to protected and conserved areas with less government involvement, such as privately protected areas and those governed by Indigenous peoples and local communities. Our study therefore indicates that future large-scale surveys of ranger perceptions and experiences would benefit from including a more diverse set of sites with regards to governance types. Further, there could be value in carrying out a new survey akin to the Global Ranger Perception Survey with a focus on protected and conserved areas governed by Indigenous peoples and local communities.