Hanna Rennie, 30 from Stirling, has always loved the outdoors, but her interest in countryside management and the environment only took root after she moved to Germany and started running bike trips for tourists.
While living in Berlin, she saw the pressures that hundreds of thousands of visitors were putting on the city every year and her concern for environmental matters grew.
At that point, she saw a countryside management course being advertised by SRUC Oatridge, and decided to change careers. After being accepted onto the course, she headed back to Scotland to start a new adventure, managing and protecting our wild places.
Hanna said: “I think working in tourism exposes you to the sharp end of environmentalism. When you see first-hand the impact we’re having on the natural world, it’s hard to ignore. Working in Germany, I began to think about what was happening back in Scotland, in particular more recently during lockdown. It’s great that we have the freedom to explore rural areas, but at the same time it has to be managed carefully.”
Two years after returning to Scotland, Hanna had completed an HND in countryside management and volunteered in various roles, including a stint as a Volunteer Ranger with Muiravonside Country Park near Falkirk.
She said: “Our college tutors always encouraged us to look for volunteering work outside of the course, as it’s really important to put the theory you learn into practice. Volunteering also helps you network and build contacts that come in handy further down the line, not to mention building your self-confidence.
“Being a Volunteer Ranger at Muiravonside was a great experience. I was involved in a wide range of countryside management practices from coppicing and planting trees to river bed restoration and interpretation design. I even had the chance to lead some groups which was a real plus point for me.”
Hanna has since had Seasonal Ranger roles with Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park and Hopetoun House Ranger Service, where she developed her skills in biological surveying, habitat management and delivering environmental education. Since January 2022 she has been working as a Conservation Officer with Fife Coast and Countryside Trust.
Hanna said: “Countryside Management is a very competitive industry to get into as more and more people take an interest in working in the outdoors, but there is a steady increase in the amount of Ranger positions being created by organisations.
“Public access is putting more pressure on our rural and natural areas so it is so important that we invest in the industries and the people who protect them. Countryside Rangers empower the public to recognise and exercise responsible access, therefore ensuring that our natural areas can continue to be enjoyed for generations to come - by both humans and wildlife!