Global commitments to conserve 30% of land and sea by 2030, and to scale biodiversity finance under the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, represent unprecedented ambition. However, delivery depends on a critical but under-recognised factor: the capacity, recognition and financing of the full conservation workforce. 

Central to this workforce are non-state rangers, including Indigenous, community-based, privately employed and NGO-supported rangers, who are already delivering conservation outcomes across protected areas, OECMs, and wider conserved landscapes. 

This side event is convened by the Universal Ranger Support Alliance (URSA), a global coalition dedicated to strengthening the professionalisation, recognition and resourcing of rangers and the wider conservation workforce. URSA brings together leading organisations working across countries and ecosystems, including WWF, WCS, ZSL, CI, Panthera, IFAW, Fauna & Flora, re:wild, and the International Ranger Federation—reflecting a broad coalition with extensive on-the-ground experience. 

While non-state rangers play an essential role in conserving biodiversity, monitoring ecosystems, supporting IPLCs, and enabling effective governance, they remain largely invisible in national biodiversity policy and financing. Many National Biodiversity Strategies and Action Plans (NBSAPs) focus primarily on protected area expansion, with limited recognition of the workforce required to achieve and sustain Target 3. As a result, non-state rangers are often overlooked in national planning, workforce development and biodiversity finance mechanisms. 

This event will present new evidence from URSA and its partners on the scale, diversity and contribution of non-state rangers to achieving Target 3. It will demonstrate why recognising these rangers within NBSAPs is essential for countries to deliver on their 30x30 commitments and to ensure that protected and conserved areas are effectively and equitably managed over the long term. 

The discussion will also highlight how greater recognition of non-state rangers can strengthen implementation of KMGBF Targets 19, 20 and 22 by improving access to biodiversity finance, building workforce capacity, and supporting the full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples and local communities. The event will draw on the Ranger for 30x30 Framework, the World Ranger Action Plan, and practical experience from URSA members working across diverse conservation contexts. 

Speakers from URSA member organisations, Indigenous peoples’ and local community representatives, and biodiversity finance actors will share practical experience from diverse contexts. The discussion will focus on integrating workforce considerations into NBSAPs, strengthening financing mechanisms, and enhancing equitable participation.  

By linking global biodiversity targets with international ranger commitments and URSA’s coalition-based experience, the event will generate actionable recommendations to help close the gap between ambition and delivery.