To conserve and protect: examining law enforcement ranger culture and operations in Queen Elizabeth National Park, Uganda

Guided by the police organizational culture and police time use literature, this dissertation presents the findings from an exploratory case study of law enforcement in Queen Elizabeth National Park (QENP) in Uganda. Based on 24 interviews with law enforcement rangers and supervisors and participant observations of ten routine law enforcement patrols, the study sought to address two research objectives: First, what perceptions and opinions do law enforcement rangers and supervisors hold about law enforcement and illegal activities in QENP? And second, what types of activities and decision-making occur during routine law enforcement patrols? It was found that themes within the police culture literature exist within law enforcement rangers in QENP. Due to the requirements of living on-site, law enforcement rangers displayed a unique 'ranger culture' that was directly affected by both occupational and personal factors. In addition, respondents shed light on the various tactics utilized by poachers within the park, as well as motivations that influenced poaching. Moreover, respondents provided insight on ranger-related misconduct and illegal activities, job satisfaction and law enforcement needs. For the second objective, it was found patrol groups utilized their time participating in four main types of activities during routine patrols: active patrolling, investigative patrolling, cross-checks and passive/resting periods. Patrol group activities and capabilities were greatly affected by the surrounding environment with various settings providing distinct advantages and disadvantages. Further, given the vast area of QENP, rangers' decisions on where to patrol were guided by wildlife behavior, environment and landscape features, experience and signs of human activity. Theoretically, the implications of the study are two-fold: first, it provides a foundation by which future studies assessing 'ranger culture', and ranger-related misconduct and illegal activity can be based upon; second, the study establishes a base for future time use studies on law enforcement ranger patrols. From a practical perspective, the study provides insight for PA managers on how the conditions of the job can facilitate a 'ranger culture' resulting in both positive (e.g. willingness to collaborate on community-based forms of policing) and negative impacts (e.g. ranger misconduct) on ranger perceptions, opinions and behaviors.Ph. D.Includes bibliographical referencesIncludes vitaby William De Jesus Moret