OUR MISSION
“To advance sustainable practices for the conservation of our natural & cultural resources. Including maintaining & enhancing biodiversity, cultural heritage, landscape & conservation, environmental interpretation, access & recreational use.”
The Protected Area Workers Association (PAWA) is an non-profit, non-industrial, apolitical professional association for protected area workers in New South Wales, the Australian Capital Territory and Australia's offshore territories.
A protected area worker is someone who works in a field operational position, or who directly supervises or supports the work of staff in field operational positions, that cares for protected areas, natural and cultural resource systems &/or the flora and fauna of NSW, ACT and Australian territories. This includes those working in government departments and agencies, and private agencies, organisations, collectives, societies, and trusts.
PAWA's constitution sets out who we are, who we represent, what we have set out to achieve.
PAWA'S OBJECTIVES
Promote and enhance the professions that collectively manage the protected areas in NSW and the ACT
Provide a forum for professional and social enrichment and foster professional exchange
Provide education and other training to develop and or improve the knowledge and skills of protected area workers
Provide a forum for discussion of common concerns of protected area workers, to share knowledge and communicate with the public to promote greater public benefit from their work
Provide material assistance, education and other training to develop and improve the knowledge, skills, professional standards and the status of protected area workers in developing countries throughout the world
COMMITTEE MEMBERS
Leah Pippos
Chairperson
Amanda Dudgeon
Vice Chairperson
Lucy Gibson
Secretary
Jodie McGill
Treasurer
George Malolakis
Committee Member
Nicholas Thorne
Committee Member (ACT representative)
Josh Madden
Committee Member
Sarah Ferguson
Committee Member
Aaron West
Committee Member
AFFILIATIONS
PAWA is affiliated with the International Ranger Federation (IRF) and the International Ranger Federation Oceania (IRF Oceania) division.
The goal of the IRF is to ‘provide a forum for rangers from around the world to share their successes and failures in protecting the world’s heritage and to promote information and technology transfer from countries in which protected area management enjoys broad public and government support to countries in which protected area management is less well supported.
In 2018 the IRF Oceania division evolved to encompass ranger associations from around Australia and the Pacific. Prior to this, the Council of Australian Rangers Associations (CARA) existed to share news, ideas and to vote on matters affecting ranger associations across the country. The amalgamated division was formed to reduce barriers between Australian ranger associations and our nearby partners across the pacific. Once a year the IRF Oceania meets for its Annual General Meeting, hosted by a state or Pacific association.