Safeguarding rangers in conflict zones: Bridging humanitarian and environmental law

Abstract

Rangers are indispensable to the management and protection of fragile ecosystems, especially when these come under threat from armed conflict. Yet, in such circumstances, rangers themselves become highly vulnerable as their responsibilities – such as preventing the plunder of natural resources or disrupting the trafficking of endangered species – frequently bring them into confrontation with parties to the conflict. Despite the critical nature of their work, international humanitarian law (IHL) provides them with no special safeguards beyond the general protection afforded to civilians. While certain analogies with IHL’s protection for relief personnel or civil defence actors might be drawn to extend an additional layer of legal security, it remains unclear whether these could be applied in practice to rangers. It is therefore crucial to examine relevant international environmental norms and principles – particularly those protecting areas of exceptional ecological value – in order to assess whether they could offer a more robust protective framework during warfare, thereby reinforcing the protection of the vital environmental functions that rangers perform.