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What do we do

The work of a Countryside Ranger is very varied and often involves working with other people on projects. The four key aims (set down by Scottish Natural Heritage) that all Ranger Services in Scotland work towards are:


1.  Ensuring a welcome for visitors to the countryside by

  • managing opportunities to enjoy the natural heritage
  • providing information and promotional material
  • identifying the needs of all types of visitors
  • caring for the visitor on site and enhancing their enjoyment.

Stirling Council examples

  • improving the paths and trails around the countryside, particularly the core path networks around settlements
  • improving countryside access opportunities for walkers, cyclists, horseriders and disabled people
  • managing countryside sites and the opportunities for informal recreation at these sites.
  • providing information (leaflets, panels etc) to help visitors enjoy the sites and paths around Stirling.

2.  Mediating between public use and rural land uses by

  • helping to resolve any issues arising from informal recreation
  • working at the interface between public use for enjoyment and other uses of land and water

Stirling Council examples

  • consulting communities and landowners on core path networks and the development and promotion of these networks
  • mediating and looking for practical solutions to access problems
  • carrying out inspection patrols of countryside sites
  • promoting responsible visitor behaviour  through outdoor access codes

3.  Promoting awareness and understanding of the countryside by

delivering interpretation and education programmes catering for the needs of a wide range of visitors and aimed at encouraging enjoyment, learning and behaviour which sustains the resource

Stirling Council examples

  • working with schools on environmental education
  • Grounds for Learning and Ecoschools projects
  • working with groups to promote environmental education and countryside awareness
  • running Countryside Events
  • producing countryside interpretive material such as leaflets, displays and countryside site panels

4.  Caring for and enhancing the natural heritage enjoyed by visitors by

contributing to sustainable management of the resource which includes encouraging public involvement

Stirling Council examples

  • supporting community environmental projects and greenspace projects
  • working with volunteers and students on access and wildlife projects
  • managing the Stirling Biodiversity Grant Scheme
  • managing countryside sites for access and biodiversity
    supporting the Local Biodiversity Action Plan process