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Three Sea Rangers in uniform posing for a photo against a cloudy background.

About the Sea Ranger Service

Who we are

The Sea Rangers Service is a social enterprise that simultaneously creates positive social and environmental impact. Working with governmental organisations and large corporations, we’re on a mission to improve the social-economic regeneration of coastal regions while also improving the conservation of the world’s oceans.

What we do

The Sea Rangers Service has three primary activities to achieve our mission:

Training

Training young people to become Sea Rangers as a start to their maritime career

Conservation

Carrying out sustainable offshore services and ocean conservation work at sea

Ship building

Constructing purpose-built sailing work vessels to carry out this work cost-effectively and clean

The unique entrepreneurial approach that the Sea Ranger Service has developed creatively combines services in youth engagement, shipbuilding, offshore services, and environmental conservation to tackle youth unemployment, create modern seafaring jobs, and regenerate marine biodiversity globally.

Our award-winning method has been operational in the Netherlands since 2018 and is currently being scaled internationally through a social franchising programme co-created with partners.

How did the Sea Rangers Service start?

Founded in 2016, the modern Sea Ranger Service looked to the past for inspiration and picked up where the 1930’s US Civilian Conservation Corps left off by putting young people from coastal communities in a position to take on much needed ocean conservation work.

By combining social and environmental objectives, the Sea Ranger Service is able to provide tangible and much needed services for Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and coastal communities.

With every new Sea Ranger that is trained and with each purpose-built Sea Ranger ship constructed, the capacity for conservation is increased. In 2009, scientists concluded that across the globe, there was only enough capability to monitor and protect 9% of Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). The Sea Ranger Service is working hard to address this.

You can read more about our history here. How did the Sea Ranger Service start

A close up photo of a hand holding a seagrass plant, ready to be planted in the Eastern Scheldt estuary in the south of The Netherlands.
Working for our seas

Conservation Impact

The Sea Rangers Service works at the forefront of ocean conservation. With a focus on research, MPA monitoring, and regeneration, plus the development of new tools to improve the effectiveness of ocean conservation methods, the Sea Rangers Service is one of the most innovative international ocean conservation initiatives in the world.

How do you become a Sea Ranger?

Young people aged between 18 and 29 can train to become Sea Rangers via our Sea Rangers Bootcamp. Our Bootcamps provide a unique opportunity for recruits to challenge themselves and further their personal development

Qualified recruits are offered a full-time employment contract with the Sea Rangers, where they can work to protect and restore our seas and gain further experience on our sailing ships.

As individual Sea Rangers gain experience and transition into a maritime career, their life opportunities will increase. The impact of our training programme can be felt far beyond the conservation strategy, as skilled, trained individuals benefit their local communities and economies.

Become a Sea Ranger

Frequently asked questions

The Sea Rangers Service trains and employs people from coastal areas to protect the oceans. This work includes planting seagrass, monitoring marine protected areas, taking water samples and more. You can read more of our services here.

When people want to join as a Sea Ranger, they have to take part in our Sea Rangers Bootcamp. We put the participants through their paces and then select the best candidates to form our Sea Rangers crew.

The Sea Rangers are not a military force; however, Sea Rangers do need to be in good physical shape, be disciplined, and work hard as a team in challenging conditions.

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