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Interested in
beautiful beaches and preserving our flappy-friends?
This is an ideal project
if you want to play an important role in preserving an
endangered species and gaining an insight into marine biology.
Leatherback turtles are critically endangered (i.e. over 80% of
the population lost in the last 10 years!), so youll receive
specific training which will enable you to help with research
and data collection. You could be working on a specialised
marine turtle conservation project where you can get involved in
clearing beaches in preparation for the nesting season, as well
as regular beach patrols. This is a great opportunity to help
safeguard the existence of these fascinating animals, whilst
spending lots of time on the sun-kissed beaches of Costa Ricas
pristine coastline.
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Trip Highlights:
Spending your days on stunning beaches - and your evenings
helping ensure the survival of these wonderful creatures
Sampling the local food - beans and rice may not sound much
but when you're in Costa Rica it tastes great!
Experiencing a totally different way of life - unless you're
lucky enough to usually live on a tropical beach.
What's
Included:
Accommodation:Shared basic hut, tent, dormitory or homestay
dependent on location
Food:All meals
Airport Pickup:Included on arrival date. Ask us for details if
youre arriving early!
Training:In-country orientation
Support:Pre-departure helpdesk, local in-country team and 24
hour emergency support
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Project details:
We support a number of research and
conservation organisations working with several species of
turtle, such as Leatherbacks and Olive Ridleys, who nest on both
the Caribbean and Pacific coasts. As the turtle seasons vary you
will be allocated to a project where there are most likely to be
turtles and your mission to protect these much poached and
predated creatures will focus on night patrols of the beaches
and guarding eggs in the hatcheries.
Why the project
needs volunteers:
Before the projects started, turtle poaching claimed around 95%
of eggs laid on beaches but, with the help of dedicated locals
and volunteers, this figure has dropped to 10%. You will be
making a very real difference to the survival of turtles in
Costa Rica!
What kind of
skills you need to go on this type of project:
Think pristine tropical paradise, think of stepping out of your
every day life. Think, did Robinson Crusoe have air con, nice
hot showers, an extensive menu of tasty nibbles and access to
his mates on Facebook? No, he didnt and neither, dear
traveller, shall you! If you have a genuine interest in nature
and conservation and are happy to spend time in the close
company of like-minded individuals, giving the project of your
best and with a bit of physical labour thrown in, you will love
your stay in Costa Rica. You may not love the cold showers, the
back-of-beyond-without-electricity and rice and beans, rice and
beans and more rice and beans, but the turtles will thank you
for it (metaphorically at least!) and you will be immersed in
the genuine cultural experience.
Your role as a
volunteer:
You will usually do a mixture of day and night work, over 6 days
a week with one day off by agreement. Warning this can be a
bit tiring! As well as nightly beach patrols and shifts guarding
the hatchery from said poachers and other predators you could be
involved in collecting turtle eggs, gathering data, clearing up
the beach, preparing hatcheries and general maintenance at the
project. When you are off duty you may need to make your own
entertainment the more jokes and card games you know the more
friends you will have!
Where the
project is based:
Please arrange your flight to arrive in San Jose on the
specified arrival date for onward transfer to your allocated
project. Most locations are quite isolated and although there
will be local people close by, towns with internet access or
international telephone are likely to be a bus journey away,
visit-able on your days off.
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Project Information
Project Duration: Min 1 week - Max 12 weeks
Project Costs: US$ 1095.00 for 1 week, US$ 385.00 for every
week thereafter
Location of project:Various locations on Pacific or Caribbean
coast depending on time of year
Arrival Airport:San Jose (airport code SJO)
Activities:Turtle beach patrols, monitoring nests and
recording data
Working Hours:Flexible; 6 days a week, a mix of day and night
work, with shift durations between 2 to 8 hours. All other time
is free.
Getting to the project:Dependent on location; on site or
walking distance
Requirements:Minimum Age 17
Other:Semana Santa (Latin America Holy week) will be from
April 3rd to 12th 2009 and March 26th to April 4th 2010, you may
have some disruptions to the placement during this time.
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