We’re often quick to celebrate when natural land is saved: a rainforest spared, a vital habitat conserved. But what happens if there’s nobody there to protect it? That’s a problem international conservation charity World Land Trust was aiming to solve when it set up its Keepers of the Wild programme, which provides salaries for rangers on partner reserves all over the world. “You need people there every day,” says Dan Bradbury, director of brand and communications at World Land Trust. He points out that those working as keepers of the wild are not only rangers but often firefighters, community organisers, medics, animal rescuers, research assistants and general guardians.
Through the programme, those living in nearby villages are hired to protect natural heritage. Some are even former hunters. “They become amazing guides, because they know the forests,” says Bradbury. He offers the example of a Colombian bird hunter who once used his talent for mimicking bird calls to “whip away birds and take them to market”. Now employed as a keeper of the wild, he uses the same bird call, but for good, as a bird guide in the reserve. “They’re the peacemakers there, on the frontline of conservation,” says Bradbury.
