This Peace Parks TV episode brings deep insight into the sharpening of rangers’ first aid skills in Mozambique’s Limpopo and Banhine national parks, thanks to the expertise of Stronghold Rescue and Relief.
Stronghold is a renowned non-profit organisation which trains ranger teams to provide medical care and conduct their own rescue and relief operations in the field, and in local communities, with minimal outside help. One of their key missions is to fill the gap between the point of injury and getting patients to professional medical care, enabling trainees to be more independent and capable of reacting much faster to emergencies.
From practical and theoretical courses to mentorship, Stronghold provides toolkits to rangers as part of their ongoing skills development, which is crucial to their everyday roles in the large landscapes they navigate.
In Banhine National Park, 13 rangers attended – ten men and three women. Donald Sutton, Peace Parks Foundation’s Field Operations Manager in Banhine, explains the importance of the hands-on component of training; lifelike simulations of injuries accustom rangers to deal with serious medical realities in the moment. “She’s managed to cut herself open,” he says, referring to a volunteer with synthetic wounds, “and the trainees will now have to treat her.”
Over the course of a month, Stronghold personnel also put rangers through their medical paces in Limpopo National Park, where Peace Parks is working in partnership with Mozambique’s National Administration for Conservation Areas to protect, manage and restore the landscape. Stronghold’s contribution extended beyond training, as they generously donated high-quality first aid and patrol equipment. “This kit not only bolsters the rangers’ ability to patrol challenging terrains, but also equips them to address life-threatening emergencies efficiently,” says Bruce Missing, Peace Parks’ Counter Poaching Coordinator.
In Limpopo National Park, Stronghold’s provision of essential resources is set to include a canine duo. In a strategic move to enhance the park’s anti-poaching efforts, they are sponsoring two tracking dogs currently undergoing training at the Southern African Wildlife College. These new team members are set to be deployed in the park in February.
The case is compelling for rolling out the training to other parks where Peace Parks is operational, ensuring the evolving skills of rangers and broadening their vital network of support. “By addressing critical resource gaps, Stronghold have empowered our rangers to enforce the law more effectively within Limpopo National Park,” Bruce asserts. “It has already resulted in increased operational efficiency and extended field presence and has great potential to do so more widely.”
Management and ranger teams in Limpopo and Banhine national parks would like to express their gratitude to Stronghold Rescue and Relief for their unwavering support and commitment to Peace Parks’ conservation efforts. The knowledge transfer and resources provided are core to ranger capabilities and positive impacts in protected areas, and the future is bright for continued collaboration.
Stay tuned to Peace Parks TV as we track the enhancement of ranger skills through this transboundary collaboration.
