Ranger in Paraguay
Credit: Mónica Álvarez Malvido
In 2008, I began working as a Park Ranger for the Ybytyruzú Mountain Range Managed Resources Reserve through an environmental project called Araucaria XXI, funded by the Spanish Agency for International Development Cooperation (AECID).
Later, in 2010, I was hired as an official for the Environment Secretariat, now the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development, with the position of Park Ranger for the Ybytyruzú Mountain Range Managed Resources Reserve.
Currently, nine women work as park rangers in Paraguay, out of a total of 82 male and female park rangers employed by the public sector. Of the nine female park rangers, I am the longest-serving. Between 2008 and 2011, I was the only park ranger in the state sector, and at the time, I paved the way for the incorporation of more women into protected wilderness areas. From 2008 to the present, I have been a Park Ranger for the Ybytyruzú Mountain Range Managed Resources Reserve, under the Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development (MADES), having worked as a Park Ranger for 17 years.
My work has focused more on environmental education, working with communities, collaborating on scientific research, and giving talks to the general public. Being a lawyer has also given me the opportunity to share my knowledge of environmental regulations with local authorities and other key stakeholders involved in the environmental management of the protected wilderness area where I work as a park ranger. I am convinced that the participation of female park rangers in conservation is much more than we can imagine.
We are not only enforcement authorities, we are agents of change, capable of raising awareness about the importance of protected areas, promoting public policies, and positively influencing decision-making. As female park rangers, we are key players in our role as environmental educators, and it is a task that requires conviction, a love of work, and integrity. We must appreciate the tremendous work we can accomplish from a holistic view of protected areas. We must understand that from our areas of action, we can foster community contributions and inspire collaborative protection and conservation.