Volunteers spend a large portion of their time with field work, meaning you will spend most of the day outdoors. But any biological work also requires data entry and data analysis. Volunteers' help is also required to keep the rooms of the volunteer house and the research station clean and tidy.
Volunteers can gain knowledge of sea turtle conservation as they will collect relevant information about nesting sea turtles, obtain audiovisual materials, identify and measure the size of sea turtle tracks and, last but not least, protect the nest. If the nest is in an obviously bad location the nest must be moved to the safe breeding station. Baby survival chances are top priority! Once the baby turtles hatch, it is necessary to record the total number of newborn turtles. This requires coordination to collect and record important data (number of hatchlings, photos and videos, following baby turtles to the water with a snorkel to continue recording underwater).
Peak sea turtle season begins in June and lasts until December. The first baby turtles begin to hatch in late August. Monitoring beaches for nesting sea turtles is truly exciting and a unique experience, even though it requires some physical fitness.
Plastic bags and ghost nets are a major threat to sea turtles. They can ingest plastic as food or become entangled in ghost nets. It is crucial that nesting beaches are kept as clean as possible to mitigate the impact on sea turtles (and all other marine species).
Main activities in marine conservation and sea turtle protection:
- Removing plastic waste
- Helping with the waste management
- Monitoring beaches to spot tracks of adult turtles
- Identifying the exact nest location
- Protecting the nest with natural materials, e.g. woods & stones
- Follow-up monitoring until the hatchlings reach the sea
In the rainforest conservation project, volunteers help to monitor wildlife using camera traps, through observation (binoculars), jungle hikes, night monitoring. They also help to regenerate damaged ecosystems. In this area you can find the last remnants of this ecosystem in northwestern Ecuador, however, many agroforestry areas or in and around the rainforest. The restoration of biodiversity and the regeneration of old forests through reforestation are the primary goals. Many plant-related activities are carried out, such as working in the nursery, producing seedlings for the rehabilitation of degraded areas, tropical gardening (cocoa and tropical fruits), etc.
Educational workshops are offered for school children and adult community members to increase environmental awareness. Volunteers also help with this important task.
The sun is out before 6 AM, so work days start and end earlier than you might be used to. Usually at 6 AM volunteers start their day with a healthy breakfast. At about 7 AM volunteers to beach monitoring and will be back at the station at around 11:30 AM. Lunch is served at 12:30 PM with a long siesta time until 2:30 PM. In the afternoon from 2:30 to 4 PM volunteers help in different kind of areas according to the description above. Work normally ends at 4 PM and dinner is served at 7 PM.
(This work schedule might change if night patrols to spot nesting turtles is required).
Note: The tasks may vary. They depend on factors such as number of volunteers, season, current needs of the project, as well as self-motivation. Not every volunteer may be fully involved in all these tasks.
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Age 18+
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50+
