Meet Georgian rangers celebrated in World Ranger Day messages, awards [VIDEO]

If you've visited protected areas of Georgia and are wondering about the professionals protecting them in their daily work, video profiles of rangers patrolling the diverse landscape of the country are now going up to introduce their stories to social media users.

The Agency of Protected Areas of Georgia (APA) and its regional administrations has been releasing the videos that see the professionals involved in efforts to preserve wildlife, inspect ecological conditions and educate citizens on environmental standards over the past week.

In the edits the rangers tell the public about their involvement in the work, inspiration for taking up the profession and challenges and curiosities for the tasks facing them on a daily basis.

See some of the Georgian professionals involved in the work at protected areas speak for the World Ranger Day:

The about 400 rangers involved in natural reserves and parks in Georgia's varying climate zones were celebrated during World Ranger Day on Friday, with a governmental ceremony involving officials and foreign dignitaries recognising their work.

The celebration also involved handing out awards to 20 professionals voted Ranger of the Year in their respective Agency of Protected Areas administrations, with money prizes accompanying the formal distinction.

Salome Idoidze, the first woman ranger in Georgia, is one of five women working for the APA and involved in protecting the natural areas in the mountainous province of Tusheti:

In the event organised with support from the United Nations Development Fund (UNDP) and the Swedish government, the five women rangers working alongside men in the field also received honours, while families of those killed during their dangerous work in protected areas were handed compensations.

Further marking the global ranger date, Georgian protectors of natural areas received congratulatory messages from foreign diplomatic corps and protected areas professionals from abroad on social media.

Vazha Cherkezishvili, the Head of the Ranger Service at the Vashlovani Protected Areas in Georgia's east, speaks about his experiences in the work:

Rangers of the APA state agency are employed in protected zones covering 667,000 hectares of land across Georgia. Their tasks include combating poaching, dealing with fires caused by visitor negligence, monitoring of biodiversity, ensuring clean environments in their parks and reserves, and assisting visitors.

Their work has seen recognition from the Georgian government - supported by partner governments, organisations and funds - with a 100 percent increase in their salaries over the past three years.

Luso Dostibegiani, who patrols the environment in the Algeti National Park in central Georgia, tells her story in the profession:

Beside the UNDP efforts, the system of protected areas in Georgia is also developed through support from Germany's KfW state-owned development bank and the Caucasus Nature Fund nonprofit, founded in Germany to contribute to environmental work in countries of the South Caucasus.

More profile videos for Georgian rangers, as well as World Ranger Day messages sent to them from diplomats and environmental professionals from abroad, can be discovered on the official Facebook page of the Agency of Protected Areas.