National Park Ranger Day: tribute to those who put their bodies in defense of nature

On February 17, 2013, Bruno Chevugi was murdered while carrying out a control patrol with his companions in the Mbaracayú Reserve. In honor of him and all those who give their lives to protect nature, we commemorate National Park Ranger Day. A date that highlights the importance of this work, the risks faced by those who carry it out and the implications of putting one's body in defense of our natural reserves.

Bruno was a leader of the Aché community surrounding the reserve that he protected until his last breath. His colleagues remember his nobility and his conviction towards his work. But this case, despite having inspired the creation of this commemoration, was not the only tragic event that affected the sector.

Five years later, on August 18, 2018, Rumildo Toledo and Artemio Villalba also lost their lives in the Tapytá Natural Reserve, in San Juan Nepomuceno, Caazapá. The case mobilized a large number of organizations and citizens in general to demand justice. Finally, in October 2021, those responsible were convicted, after several years of fighting, setting a precedent, unlike the Chevugi case, which went unpunished.

These extremely serious acts of violence are just one of the risks that park rangers face, so coordinated work between organizations, government institutions and citizens is key to preventing these situations, fighting head-on against impunity, reinforce the guarantees to carry out their work and strengthen the work of those who guard our forest remnants, which are home to the country's fauna and flora.

The Moisés Bertoni Foundation, together with a coalition of organizations, has been promoting the #SoyGuardaparque campaign, which managed to obtain the promulgation of Law No. 6422/19, which modifies Law No. 352/94, in the articles that regulate the powers, obligations and benefits of park rangers.

However, as of 2020, in Paraguay there were only 115 park rangers for 2.276.011 hectares, when the recommendation is one park ranger for every 500 hectares. The tasks that a park ranger performs daily seek to prevent natural resources from suffering any type of damage; whether by hunting, burning, illegal logging or invasion of property.

Given the importance of this task, it is vitally important that citizens continue to support the actions of these workers, denouncing the illegal acts that occur within the protected areas, as well as in other natural reserves, and urging the legal regulation of this trade, with a framework that guarantees its safety. Forests benefit us all, so guarding them is a mission that must be accompanied by society in general.