On World Ranger Day of July 31, Leopards Beyond Borders, in collaboration with the General Directorate of Forest Police of Sulaymaniyah and with support from the PeLeWG, hosted the Ranger Award event to honor three exceptional individuals as leopard champions. The event celebrated their outstanding contributions to conservation by awarding them the prestigious Ranger Award, initiated by the PeLeWG in 2024. The General Director of Forest Police commended the initiative, emphasizing the importance of recognizing and supporting those who fight against illegal hunting and forest logging. He also reaffirmed their ongoing commitment to conservation efforts before personally presenting the award certificates to the deserving recipients.

The award recipients gave brief acceptance speeches in which they thanked the PeLeWG and Leopards Beyond Borders for their recognition, expressing that the award serves as a powerful reminder to continue their commitment to nature conservation and the protection of leopards and other wildlife. They also encouraged others to follow their footsteps.

Additionally, Leopards Beyond Borders presented the General Directorate with a camera-trap photo of the first female Persian leopard, captured by the award winners as a lasting reminder of their dedication to leopard protection.

The Ranger Award Ceremony took place on June 5, 2024 at the Bamyan provincial office of the National Environmental Protection Agency–Afghanistan. It was organized under the support of the PeLeWG in cooperation with Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) Afghanistan. The event was attended by local authorities, WCS provincial and central office teams, and rangers. The speeches were delivered about the Persian leopard’s status, conservation and values in the country, and the activities of the PeLeWG and the IUCN SSC Cat Specialist Group. The 10 nominated rangers received cash prizes and appreciation letters.

We hope that this small, but important, step will mark the beginning of new actions, projects and programs targeted at the conservation of Persian leopards, their prey and habitats in harmony with local people of Afghanistan.

On May 23, 2024, the Wildlife Ecology Lab, Department of Forestry & Wildlife Management of The University of Haripur organized the Ranger Award Ceremony to appreciate the achievements, commitment and tireless efforts of Pakistan’s rangers in wildlife conservation. The nominees – Mr. Abdul Aziz from Balochistan Forest & Wildlife Department, Mr. Sajid Hussain from Ayubia National, WWF-Pakistan, and Mr. Khawaja Irshad from Wildlife & Fisheries Department, Azad Jammu & Kashmir – received the field kits, equipment and cash prizes. This was made possible due to support from the PeLeWG, and thanks a lot to Dr. Muhammad Kabir for organizing this wonderful event!

This event was attended by high-rank officials such as Prof. Shafiq ur Rehman (Vice Chancellor, The University of Haripur), Prof. Syed Moazzam Nizami (Chairman, Department of Forestry & Wildlife Management), Prof. Aziz Ullah (Dean, Faculty of Biological & Biomedical Sciences), Muhammad Waseem (WWF-Pakistan), Dr. Muhammad Naeem Awan (World Pheasant Association Pakistan), Iftikhar uz Zaman (Conservator, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wildlife Department), and Usman Ali Khan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Forest Department). This greatly signified the importance of recognizing the outstanding efforts of rangers and added much credibility to the award ceremony.

The PeLeWG feels very encouraged and will do its best to support rangers and local communities throughout the Persian leopard range countries.

Our PeLeWG has celebrated International Leopard Day by nominating 10 rangers from Afghanistan, 3 from Iraqi Kurdistan and 3 from Pakistan for awards to appreciate their dedication and professionalism. The award ceremony will be organized a bit later. We thank the country representatives Dr. Zalmai Moheb, Hana Raza with her Leopards Beyond Borders (LBB) NGO and Dr. Muhammad Kabir for their hard work in organizing this!

All the nominees play pivotal roles in surveys of different species, including the Persian leopard and its prey, communicating with local people on conservation and livelihood issues, and fighting against poaching and other illegal activities. Yet, their work is rarely visible and even less appreciated. All they experience a shortage of funds and attention from the governmental bodies, and most of the rangers from Afghanistan do it for free at the expense of their time and other duties. Despite this, they keep on doing their work with unprecedented passion. The PeLeWG cannot stand aside and neglect these heroes, and that is why we decided to take a small step forward to appreciate their invaluable work and invigorate these people for new achievements. We will continue to carry out the grant award program throughout the Persian leopard range to the best of our capacities.