Volunteer Abroad at Montezuma-Romelia Sea Turtle Conservation - Costa Rica

Description

This organization has agreed to partner with BaseCamp International Centers to help to ensure that sufficient volunteer energy can be provided to support the project at all times. In addition to the conservation and preservation of endangered species of turtles, a large part of the organizations emphasis is on promoting worldwide environmental awareness. This process is facilitated by having international volunteers contribute their energy and share what they have learned at home.

Currently ASVO and the Romelia Sea Turtle Conservation Project are facing several central challenges which volunteers will be helping them to face. One central challenge is ensuring that there are sufficient volunteers at all times to keep the project running. The project requires a minimum of six volunteers at all times to function. Another challenge is an increased volume of poachers for both the turtle eggs and the turtles themselves, despite awareness campaigns in Costa Rica and increased effort by the National Coast Guard to deter poaching activities. Volunteers are actively participating in the saving of thousands of turtles lives each year by participating in poacher patrols and reporting sitings.

Another challenge that the project is facing is the increased risk for newborn turtles when they “free hatch” or emerge from their nests into the open beach. When this occurs, they are vulnerable to predators, hot sun, and poachers. The project is meeting this challenge by constructing controlled hatcheries, and having volunteers assist with nest relocation. This way, volunteers can ensure that the eggs are hatching in a monitored setting, and assist the turtles to the ocean safely.

One last challenge the project is facing is that there is minimal research completed as to when, where and how hatching happens, what the survival rate is, and how many nests a turtle will lay in her life. Volunteer energy is helping them to meet this challenge by assisting with date recording: measuring and weighing baby turtles, documenting nest size and location and tagging mother turtles.

Volunteers are promoting positive change at this project through assisting the organization to meet the various challenges they face in their effort to ensure that sea turtles live on for future generations.

Requirements:
Experience working with large groups and a background in biology or a related field of conservation would be very beneficial, but not required at this placement.

Intermediate Spanish or higher would also be an asset.

It is important the volunteer have a willingness to work, are responsible, positive and able to adapt to tropical conditions.

It is also vital that volunteers interested in this placement enjoy the outdoors and rustic living, because the accommodations are very simple.

People with poor interpersonal skills or who are very private may have a difficult time on this placement as it is fairly remote and you will spend all of your time with the same group of people.

Also, volunteers who do not like the outdoors or getting out of their comfort zone may not be well suited for this placement type.

Requirements

Language

English