& Sustainability Volunteer Project, Ecuador
Type: volunteer position, with programme fee (see below)
Location: Cloud Forest, Ecuador, South America
Join now as an environmental volunteer in Ecuador. The aim of this
programme is help to conserve a part of the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest by
participating in tree planting, trail work, research activities,
sustainable living and food production as well as some community
projects. You can take part in: Cloud Forest Conservation &
Sustainable Food Production and Building and we offer a short term
Travelling, Volunteering, L
earning (TVL) programme for groups.
You can join for 1 week up to 12 weeks year round. We have places all
throughout 2014 & 2015 available.
Individuals, groups, students doing research and families all welcome.
Cost includes shared lodging in cabins, 3 meals a day, training and
supervision, project materials, backup and support; starts at £300.
The Project
Cloud Forest Conservation & Sustainable Food Production and Building
Conservation and Sustainability Volunteers can join this programme all
year round from 1 week up to 3 months in duration. Activities include:
• Planting150 native trees per person within the group (groups of 4-8 usually)
• Designing and opening a new trail in the reserve
• Maintaining existing trails
• Collecting data for the station’s research projects
• Maintaining and improving the medicinal and meditation garden
• Working in the organic vegetable garden
• Alternative animal production
• Coffee, banana and citric production
• Bio-food production
• Eco-construction
• Sustainable wood production, and
• Medicinal garden work
2 weeks – Travelling, Volunteering and Learning Programme (TVL)
This is a programme which is ideal for volunteers who do not have much
time to travel (two weeks), but still want to do something worthwhile
and for groups (minimum 4 participants). It includes:
• reforestation, forest conservation and planting native and endangered
species,
• hiking in the cloud forest,
• trip and overnight stay to a local indigenous community,
• opportunity to learn about medicinal plants and meet shaman for
healing (optional),
• eco-construction workshops,
• ecological research techniques,
• sustainability – organic agriculture as well as bio food production,
(ie cheese, yoghourt, pasta, coffee etc)
• conservation lectures and practices,
• camping and learning about survival techniques, shelter building,
finding edible foods,
• visiting local school and nursery.
Optional to include Spanish classes as well. Suitable for individuals
or groups of students, friends etc. Please enquire for dates. If you
can make up a group of at least 4 participants, then any date would be
fine.
For any questions on the above, please email: Victoria.McNeil@workingabroad.com
Further Details
Conservation volunteer activities for the Cloud Forest Conservation &
Sustainability Programme
• Forestry Programme: Restoring Degraded Areas – The station is
working to restore several areas through natural regeneration and by
reforesting them with tree species important to the natural
environment. Volunteers assist in collecting and planting seeds,
maintaining the nursery, transplanting seedlings, tree care, opening
reforestation lines and conducting forestry inventories of planted
trees to evaluate their growth and survival.
• Sustainable Wood Production – Due to the worldwide demand for
hardwood it is important to plant trees for sustainable use, instead
of cutting old-growth trees that belong to the natural forests. Since
the steep geography of the region does not permit intensive
agriculture and cattle farming, the best economic alternative is wood
production. In addition to trying to resolve poverty, forestry also
contributes to the fight against global warming; an average of twenty
tones of carbon dioxide is absorbed per year by one hectare of trees
in growth. At the station we are planting several species of trees for
sustainable use, including mahogany, cedar, colorado and tangaré among
others. As we research the best methods for sustainable development,
we will share our knowledge of agro-forestry with local communities to
encourage and enable them to adopt a similar approach.
• Wildlife Programme – Birds inventory (volunteers with expertise in
bird-watching). Volunteers are in charge to plant botanical species
that will provide food for the wild animals. Also they will report any
mammal sightings, for the Mammal sight-frequency research, and will
monitor nests when found.
• Research – Volunteers will collect and analyze data from the
different research areas, such as hardwood trees’ phenology,
germination success of important species etc. In addition, volunteers
will collect basic weather information such as temperature and
rainfall.
• Organic Vegetable Garden – Preparing soil, planting seeds, weeding,
harvesting and general maintenance.
• Trail Maintenance – Volunteers will maintain or create the trails of
the reserve with a machete.
• Medicinal Garden – Volunteers will maintain the medicinal garden and
meditation area.
• Organic Agriculture: – Maintenance of banana, coffee, sugar cane,
citric fields (clearing with a machete, weeding, fertilizing, pruning,
harvesting mature products).
• Alternative Animal Production – Cows, pigs, chickens, goats, horses,
mules, ducks, geese, rabbits. Volunteers will participate in
activities like: feeding these animals, planting the crops to feed
them, maintenance of pastures, fencing, milking and taking the milk on
the mule into the town.
• Bio-food Production – Volunteers will participate in the process of
preparation of home-made cheese, butter, yogurt, chocolate, coffee,
pasta, bread, pizza, dry fruits and vinegar.
• Eco-construction – Construction with COB, bamboo and wood depending
on the time of the year. If at the time of your stay there is not a
current construction project, if volunteers are interest the staff
will conduct a COB workshop.
• Alternative Energy – We will continue with the evaluation of
possible energy projects, consulting experts and making agreements
with relevant institutions.
• New Ideas – Any volunteers with the relevant experience may
contribute by helping to write grant proposals and other
communications on behalf of the reserve.
Volunteers will rotate their work schedule doing the above tasks,
working about 7 hours each day Monday to Friday.
For more information on this cloud forest conservation volunteering
opportunity (prices, dates, lodging, testimonials), please visit our
main project page on this link:
http://www.workingabroad.com/projects/ecuador-cloud-forest-volunteer