REGUA Rangers
Regular patrolling of the reserve is essential to prevent illegal hunting or the collection of heart of palm, bromeliads and orchids. Although the rangers have no legal enforcement status they are uniformed and have become well known and respected in the local communities. If a hunter or evidence of hunting is encountered then any hunting materials are destroyed and the hunters are asked to leave immediately. It is estimated that hunting in REGUA land has been reduced by an estimated 98% since 2001.
All of the current nine rangers are from the local villages of Guapiaçu or Matumbo, and some of them used to be hunters themselves so they know the techniques used, they can identify the various animal tracks and signs and importantly, they know many of the hunters that operate in the area.
In order to make their patrolling easier and to open up the forest to visitors, the rangers have created a network of marked trails with distance markers. The rangers usually patrol in pairs unless they are required to guide visitors or help with trail maintenance. One of the rangers, Adilei has proved to be an exceptional bird guide and is now often found leading birdwatchers.
In order to identify potential future rangers and to encourage an interest in the environment, REGUA has established a Young Rangers Programme where interested teenagers from the local schools can accompany the senior rangers and learn about their work. The first graduate from this scheme to become a salaried ranger was Everton in April 2008.