Countryside ranger

KSBs

Knowledge

K1: Current legislation including health and safety, codes of practice, and work place policies and procedures relevant to their role and duties for example Provision and Use of Work Equipment Regulations, General Data Protection Regulations, safeguarding children, young people and vulnerable adults, waste management, risk management and assessment, record keeping and compliance Back to Duty

K2: Key UK environmental legislation, land and wildlife designations, permissions and licences relevant to the management of habitats and species and other countryside management works e.g. Conservation of Habitats and Species Regulations 2017, National Parks and Access to the Countryside Act and Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act Back to Duty

K3: Current legislation, planning regulation and legal processes and procedures in relation to managing public rights of way and other public access such as Highways Act, Countryside and Rights of Way Act and Definitive Maps and Statements Back to Duty

K4: Ecology including main UK ecosystems, habitats and indicator species and identification and requirements of a complex range of native and invasive species and the relationship between them and the environment in relation to their local area Back to Duty

K5: Practical and technical land and habitat management techniques such as felling, pruning, planting, cutting, mowing, coppicing, thinning, spraying and uprooting, livestock grazing and controlling vegetation and invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed and best practice for a range of habitats and species and how to balance conflicting needs Back to Duty

K6: Main uses of land in UK such as a: Main uses of land in UK such as agriculture, forestry, housing, recreation and their interactionsgriculture, forestry, housing, recreation and their interactions Back to Duty

K7: The structure, content, purpose and uses of work programmes, site, habitat and project plans to assist with the day to day and technical management of the delegated countryside sites, areas or projects. For example, habitat action plans, biodiversity action plans Back to Duty

K8: Principles of financial management including how to set up and manage a budget and the project management life cycle from business case to implementation including risk assessment, planning, financial management, resources, reporting and evaluation techniques Back to Duty

K9: Methods for managing teams, allocating work and delegation and how their team’s work links to the organisational objectives, lines of responsibility and who to speak to if they need to escalate issues Back to Duty

K10: The types of UK funding streams relevant to organisational objectives. For example: Countryside Stewardship, farming subsidies, developer contributions and lottery funding Back to Duty

K11: Legislation, principles and best practice for the design, construction and management of assets and infrastructure such as steps, ramps, gates, stiles, bridges and drainage; boundaries such as fences, walls and hedges; and public access routes such as public rights of way and permissive access including a technical understanding of their type, usage, cost, lifespan, historic value and relationship with landscape, terrain and regional character Back to Duty

K12: Applications for different machinery, tools and equipment for a wide variety of habitat, access or asset management work, and their use e.g. 4WD vehicles, winches and other powered and non-powered tools such as chainsaws, mobile devices and other technology such as GPS and tablets Back to Duty

K13: Survey techniques and how to plan surveys, appropriateness of the surveys and techniques and technology used in their implementation for habitats and species, visitors or volunteers, assets and access work Back to Duty

K14: How to examine and interpret survey data with particular attention to how this data is used internally such as Ecologists, externally, locally and nationally to assess current populations of flora and fauna and current and future habitat management and visitor management Back to Duty

K15: How to recruit, train, supervise, motivate and manage volunteers and staff to maintain good team relations and provide a positive volunteer experience Back to Duty

K16: Communication methods used to influence and build effective relationships with colleagues, team members, volunteers, contractors, local community groups such as Friends of groups, interest groups such as British Horse Society, educational and corporate groups, neighbouring landowners, tenants and stakeholders and the public and how to promote the work of their organisation in a positive light Back to Duty

K17: Customer service principles including types and needs of different customers (internal and external to the organisation), their expectations and managing conflict Back to Duty

K18: The different types of minor and major emergencies and incidents in the sector such as landslips, flooding, snow and ice, fires, pollution, first aid emergencies or theft of equipment. How to manage them including safe working practices, limits of responsibility, organisational and legislative processes and the response/actions needed and how they impact upon the environment, natural habitats, assets and people Back to Duty

K19: Notifiable or other pests and diseases relevant to their role which affect plant, animal and human health and reporting procedures and biosecurity measures associated with them e.g. Phytophthora and Ash Dieback Back to Duty

K20: The differences between environmental interpretation and information provision and methods of delivery, intended uses and benefits e.g. social media, public events, educational visits and Forest School, interactive displays, guided walks, leaflets and trails Back to Duty

K21: How to plan, research, design, analyse and evaluate environmental interpretation and information provision including selecting methods, style and structure best suited to the needs of the audience, location and focus of content Back to Duty

K22: The importance of and organisational approaches to performance management and supervisory practices to improve performance Back to Duty

Skills

S1: Assess, prioritise, maintain and evaluate a safe working environment following relevant legislation, work place policies and procedures including identifying hazards, assessing risk and minimising risk and implementing and complying with control measures Back to Duty

S2: Comply with and ensure others comply with legal requirements, industry regulations and standards and organisational policies, processes, procedures and professional codes and ethics Back to Duty

S3: Comply with environmental best practices and procedures and follow sustainability and waste management practices Back to Duty

S4: Organise and prioritise environmental and land management work activities such as habitat management, work associated with public access or assets such as bridges and scheduled monuments. This includes assessing tasks, identifying and allocating the required resources to deliver the task effectively and review completed work Back to Duty

S5: Manage a range of habitats and species using a variety of specialist techniques and resources which takes account of the local area, habitat, species of flora and fauna and levels of associated protection such as felling, pruning, planting, cutting, mowing, coppicing, thinning, spraying and uprooting, livestock grazing and controlling vegetation and invasive species such as Japanese Knotweed Back to Duty

S6: Produce short or medium term work, site, habitat action or small scale project plans for the delegated areas of responsibility for and in line with organisations requirement and based on sound knowledge of ecological principles and in line with relevant legislation Back to Duty

S7: Delegate tasks to volunteers/ team members Back to Duty

S8: Deliver work and projects on time, to a high standard, using allocated resources, to planned budget, method and quality and represent value for money e.g. environmental and land management, public engagement, interpretation or survey work Back to Duty

S9: Manage workload, taking into account competing and changes in priorities and demonstrate problem solving ability Back to Duty

S10: Communicate with the correct authorities and seek advice on land, nature conservation and asset management, such as Historic England for Scheduled Monuments or ecologists Back to Duty

S11: Organise and prioritise asset and infrastructure construction, maintenance and management works including any surveys and alternative plans Back to Duty

S12: Construct, maintain and manage a range of boundaries, public access routes, infrastructure and assets using a variety of specialist techniques, tools, equipment and resources Back to Duty

S13: Correctly identify the unique range of native and invasive species and habitats in the geographical area Back to Duty

S14: Survey, analyse, communicate and evaluate results for habitats, species and countryside assets Back to Duty

S15: Select and use a range of work-based tools, machinery and equipment e.g. 4WD vehicles, trailers, winches and other powered and non-powered tools such as chainsaws, brushcutters, hedge trimmer and hand tools, mobile devices and other technology such as GPS, tablets and cameras Back to Duty

S16: Instruct others how to use tools and machinery correctly and safely and ensure operator competence Back to Duty

S17: Complete records associated with tools and machinery e.g. maintenance, use, vibration and noise levels etc Back to Duty

S18: Engage and communicate clearly and effectively with stakeholders including the public, landowners, tenants, contractors and colleagues Back to Duty

S19: Supervise, motivate and work alongside others while undertaking habitat management, construction and maintenance of boundaries, access routes and associated countryside assets Back to Duty

S20: Present information to the public and relevant stakeholders on planned works, site designation, its species and habitats and techniques used to manage an area Back to Duty

S21: Deal with emergencies and incidents as appropriate within the limits of their responsibility, authority and level of training Back to Duty

S22: Design, produce and evaluate various types of environmental interpretation and information provision for a range of audiences Back to Duty

S23: Speak in public and engage with a wide range of audiences such as stakeholders e.g. tenants, local community or interest groups, volunteers, educational and corporate groups and members of the public on a range of topics. For example, planned or ongoing habitat or access management, local flora and fauna or history and archaeology of an area Back to Duty

S24: Recognise strengths and areas for development, creates SMART objectives in line with organisational objectives, participates in development opportunities and regularly seeks feedback Back to Duty

S25: Make decisions based on the organisations principles and relevant and accurate information Back to Duty

Behaviours

B1: Has a self-disciplined, self-motivated, and proactive approach to work Back to Duty

B2: Is conscious of time constraints and takes personal responsibility for delivering their work to time and budget Back to Duty

B3: Responds positively to feedback and is open to change Back to Duty

B4: Considers other perspectives, options and the bigger picture to make a decision and focuses on solutions rather than problems Back to Duty

B5: Acts in accordance with the organisational policies, procedures, values and behaviours and in a polite, professional and inclusive manner Back to Duty

B6: Communicates effectively – Adapts communication style and medium to suit the audience Back to Duty

B7: Acts as an ambassador for the organisation and takes personal responsibility for identifying and addressing the needs of customers and builds effective and collaborative working relationships Back to Duty

B8: Proactively promotes and champions health, safety and wellbeing within their organisation Back to Duty

B9: Takes personal responsibility for developing knowledge and skills and continually seeks to improve their performance Back to Duty

B10: Self awareness – Aware of own knowledge and limits of responsibility and seeks relevant advice and support when appropriate Back to Duty

B11: Establishes and promotes respect for the work of the organisation from customers, stakeholders and co-workers Back to Duty

B12: Takes a positive approach to working outside in differing weather conditions Back to Duty