{"id":33186,"date":"2025-07-31T08:12:24","date_gmt":"2025-07-31T06:12:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/?p=33186"},"modified":"2025-08-04T11:19:02","modified_gmt":"2025-08-04T09:19:02","slug":"more-than-two-decades-in-service-meet-007","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/news\/more-than-two-decades-in-service-meet-007\/","title":{"rendered":"More than two decades in service: meet 007"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In honor of World Ranger Day (July 31)<\/strong>, we bring you the story of Katica Poljak<\/strong> \u2013 a ranger who has spent more than two decades protecting the most precious thing we have: nature.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Being a ranger isn’t just about “guarding” nature. It’s a job that requires resourcefulness, communication, physical fitness, and a deep understanding of natural processes. Rangers are the first responders when it comes to protecting plant and animal species, preventing fires, warning visitors of danger, assisting in emergencies, and contributing to education, research, and ecosystem preservation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In our interview with Katica Poljak<\/strong>, who works at the Public Institution for the management of protected areas in Zadar County “Natura Jadera”<\/strong>, we discovered why this job is a unique blend of science, humanity, and intuition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

From the office to the outdoor<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Although she trained as an aeronautical traffic engineer<\/strong> and worked for a time in an insurance company office in Zagreb, Katica eventually grew tired of being indoors.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 I wanted to work in the field, and I also felt the pull to return home to Dre\u017enik Grad, near Plitvice Lakes National Park. It didn\u2019t take long before I found a job posting for a ranger position \u2013 back then, we were called wardens<\/strong>. They were looking for a woman, on a trial basis. I passed the professional ranger exam <\/strong>and since than have never regretted this career shift, \u2013 says Katica, who was assigned badge number 007<\/strong>. She may not be a secret agent, but like James Bond<\/strong>, she\u2019s up against crimes \u2013 only hers are crimes against nature. Over time, her commitment to conservation deepened.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Katica\u2019s personal motivation led her to continually expand her knowledge and skills: alongside her job, she completed a carpentry program in Karlovac, passed a hunting exam, earned certification as a tourist guide, and completed a degree in Wildlife management and nature conservation. While working at Plitvice Lakes National Park<\/strong>, she was actively involved in amphibian conservation projects, organizing and conducting roadside rescue activities, particularly for the fire salamander. She even wrote a professional article<\/strong> on the topic, which was published in the scientific journal NATURA CROATICA<\/em><\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

‘A job that keeps you alert and focused’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Just three months ago, Katica moved to Zadar, leaving her long-time position at Plitvice Lakes National Park to begin a new adventure at PI<\/strong> Natura Jadera<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 The team at the institution welcomed me warmly, and I\u2019m glad to have another opportunity to learn something new. Since I\u2019m now working in entirely different types of protected areas, I need to familiarize myself with regulations concerning the ecological network, marine protected areas<\/a>, and ornithological reserves, \u2013 she says. We asked Katica to explain the role of a ranger more precisely. What does a ranger actually do?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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According to her, the job consists of two main parts: one preventive<\/strong> and the other enforcement-based<\/strong>. The preventive aspect includes education, collaboration with locals and researchers, participation in monitoring projects, and helping develop educational trails. The enforcement side focuses on protecting and preserving ecosystem services within protected areas and ecological networks. Rangers also ensure the safety of visitors and residents and are expected to assist during emergencies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 This is a job that always keeps you alert and focused. Just when you think you\u2019ve mastered all the improvisation and problem-solving, something new comes along, \u2013 she adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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‘The number of rangers is increasing each year’<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

From Katica\u2019s experience, violations of the Nature Protection Act vary from year to year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 Each year tends to stand out for a different type of offense. One year it\u2019s more cases of illegal swimming, the next it\u2019s unauthorized camping, entering without a ticket, or illegal construction. Similarly, regulations and laws governing the ranger service have also evolved over time, \u2013 Katica explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of all the challenges faced by rangers in Croatia, perhaps the most pressing is the lack of capacity<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although the number of rangers has been steadily increasing year after year, it\u2019s still not enough, our interviewee explains. The diversity in size and type of protected areas and areas of ecological network, along with varying conservation goals, requires a much larger presence on the ground<\/strong>. At the same time, we need to look after the rangers we already have because when there are too few people covering too much territory, those in the field quickly become overwhelmed, leading to burnout and, inevitably, mistakes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 I\u2019d like to highlight that conditions in the profession are already improving. Discussions about a new Nature Protection Act are currently underway, and I believe they\u2019ll help close some of the current gaps in implementation, especially when it comes to the guidelines that shape how rangers work and respond in the field, \u2013 she says.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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A question of culture and mentality<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

In addition to the overall lack of rangers, women remain underrepresented in this field. While Katica doesn\u2019t know the exact gender ratio, she believes the number of female rangers is on the rise \u2013 despite the challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 I\u2019ve never worked with a female colleague \u2013 it\u2019s always been me and the male colleagues. I\u2019ve never even had a female supervisor. I always hoped another woman would be hired or that we\u2019d get a head female ranger. In my experience, the obstacles women face in this line of work are mostly cultural. In traditional communities, a woman doing this job can cause confusion or surprise and people ignore female rangers more often than they do male ones, \u2013 Katica explains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But those uncomfortable moments, our interviewee believes, are exactly what women should learn to turn into their strength. A woman\u2019s power lies in her calm, respectful, and professional presence. And to anyone considering this line of work, Katica has a clear message: stay persistent, be patient, invest in yourself, and never stop learning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2013 When you equip yourself with knowledge, it becomes your shield. You have to keep searching for the right approach and the right solutions, no matter how long it takes, \u2013 Katica advises.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

And where do you anchor?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

As the world faces a triple crisis<\/strong>: climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, the role of rangers has never been more important<\/strong>. And women have an equal place in that story \u2013 not only for the sake of equality, but because they offer diverse and valuable perspectives<\/strong> in the protection of nature. We have already talked about what it’s like to be a female ranger in Croatia with Ivana Lagetar<\/a> and Ivana Konjevod<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This story is part of our ongoing campaign And where do you anchor?<\/a><\/em>, which aims to raise awareness of protecting marine biodiversity<\/strong> and promoting sustainable practices at sea<\/strong>. Through conversations with individuals like Katica Poljak and Jurica Pavi\u010di\u0107<\/a>, who don’t take the sea for granted, the campaign reminds us just how fragile our marine ecosystems are and how important it is to protect them not just with laws and policies, but with our everyday choices.<\/p>\n\n\n

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If you have a story, tip, or practice worth sharing \u2013 or know someone who could inspire others to help preserve the Adriatic \u2013 feel free to reach out to us at info@sunce-st.org<\/a><\/strong>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

As part of the “And where do you anchor?” campaign, we interviewed ranger Katica Poljak. Find out how she has navigated this demanding service for over two decades.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":33193,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5,1244],"tags":[1227,1297],"class_list":["post-33186","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-protected-areas","tag-and-where-do-you-anchor","tag-rangers"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33186","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/10"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33186"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33186\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33277,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33186\/revisions\/33277"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/33193"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33186"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=33186"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sunce-st.org\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=33186"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}