East Lothian Countryside Ranger Service

Background
The first Countryside Ranger was appointed in East Lothian in 1970. Since then East Lothian's Countryside Ranger Service has developed into a professional team that operates across a range of sites and provides a service to East Lothian Council, the local community and visitors.
The East Lothian Countryside Ranger Service currently consists of two Senior Countryside Rangers, Four Countryside Rangers, a Nature Reserve Warden and four seasonal staff appointed for the summer. The Countryside Ranger Service is made up of people from a variety of backgrounds. The all have in common however general knowledge of wildlife and the countryside, an enthusiasm for natural history and environmental issues and a desire and ability to communicate this to the general public.

Aims
There area variety of threats, pressures and opportunities associated with East Lothian's Countryside. The Ranger Service assists in the management of this rich landscape by: 

• Helping visitors to the East Lothian Countryside and enhancing their experience. 
• Ensuring effective management of East Lothian Council controlled sites which have a potential for leisure, informal recreation or nature conservation purposes.

Interpretation
An important part of the Ranger's job is to provide information to the general public on wildlife and countryside matters in East Lothian. Our aim is to enhance peoples enjoyment of the East Lothian countryside, while helping them to appreciate its importance and the need to conserve it for future generations.
The Rangers are able to meet and talk to people during regular patrols, and also through more formal guided walks, talks and natural history events throughout the year. The Ranger is often called upon by schools and other organisations to lead groups in nature activities. These range from rock-pool studies to woodland walks and geology trails. As well as welcoming groups out in the wider countryside, we also give talks and organise educational activities in and around schools themselves.

Recreation and Conservation
A considerable amount of investment by East Lothian Council has gone into monitoring visitor pressure on sites in the county. Car and people counters are located at strategic positions, and together with surveys and questionnaires, we have been able to obtain accurate figures for numbers of visitors to a particular site and the purpose of their visit. Such information influences management policy, and the amount of time a Ranger needs to spend on a particular site. Monitoring damage caused by visitor pressure, enforcing bye-laws and carrying out small-scale management tasks are important jobs for the Countryside Ranger. Successful management can limit damage, enhance safety and reduce conflicts between recreation and conservation.

Access
The Countryside Ranger Service has always had an involvement in issues relating to access to the countryside. This includes operating on the rights of way and public access network, investigating access issues and liasing with landowners, user groups and the local community. The new Land Reform (Scotland) Act 2003, and associated Scottish Outdoor Access Code, places a duty on Local Authorities to uphold access rights, publicise the code and arbitrate in disputes. The Countryside Ranger Service will be in the forefront of this work.

Future
The role of the Countryside Ranger Service is likely to become more important, given the increased interest in nature conservation, further nature conservation designations, the increased importance of environmental education, and the continued increase in demand for access to the countryside for recreation.

Information
East Lothian Countryside Ranger Service can be contacted on 01620 - 827279.