Volunteer: Environmental Conservation Project in Peru

Duration: Minimum 2 weeks, maximum 6 months

Cost: from $1180 USD for the first 2 weeks + $350-$430 for each week thereafter

Fee Includes: all food, accommodation, airport pickup, pre-departure + in-country support, orientation and all project related activities

Does not Include: flights, travel insurance, personal spending, visas and vaccinations

Please note: This opportunity is designed to give you the contacts and experience to help further your career. You are not replacing any member of staff, but helping alongside them, whilst learning new skills.

Start Dates: Project is on-going, and you can join at any time, depending upon availability

Benefits

• Gain personal hands-on experience working with a growing Peruvian NGO.
• Work alongside experienced + passionate professionals and local communities.
• Live and work in a north Peru surfing hot-spot.
• Building community nurseries for growing seedlings of native plant species for habitat recovery
• Reforestation of degraded areas with the seedlings
• Design, plan and execution of a local communications and educational campaign to increase awareness about the dangers to the Peruvian Plantcutter
• Liaise and get involvement from all local stakeholders in conservation efforts (local government, local military, local big oil industry, local people, schools, fishermen, other organizations, etc.)
• Manage land surrounding Lobitos under conservation strategies and community vigilance
• Monitoring and evaluation of project indicators

The Approach Towards Sustainability Consists Of Three Pillars

During this project, you will be working with a surfing-inspired sustainable development non-profit (NGO) driving the development of poor Peruvian coastal communities through a path of sustainability, improving the quality of life of their inhabitants. The NGO develops educational, infrastructure, environmental, social and economic productivity projects working hand in hand with local communities and with international volunteers/interns. They take a “shared value” approach, working with the private, public, academic sectors and other NGOs, to come up with relevant and lasting sustainable solutions.

• Nature conservation;
• Social justice; and
• Economic wellbeing for all.

The NGO currently operates in a coastal northern town and surfing hotspot, which has seen an increase in uncontrolled tourism over the last 15 years. As a result of the town s lack of infrastructure, lack of communication between stakeholders and lack of integrated development programmes, this tourism is giving rise to various environmental, social and economic risks to the town s long-term sustainability and wellbeing. The NGO is working to change this through a variety of projects from distinct disciplines, but needs all the help they can get. The organisation runs many different initiatives and at times finds itself thinly stretched. This is an excellent opportunity for you to gain valuable international development experience on how to run an NGO in a developing region, turning you into an agent of change, in a time when you are very much needed.

Together with our partners from Columbus Zoo + Aquarium (Ohio, USA), SOS Peruvian Plantcutter and Ecol gica Tall n, we are building the first stage of a biodiversity conservation project in Lobitos and its surroundings.

Project Objectives And Tasks Include

We are looking for a conservationist intern for this new project which started in April 2017. The project concerns the conservation of an endemic and endangered species of bird, the Peruvian Plantcutter (Phytotoma raimondii), of which only 500-1000 individuals are estimated to be left alive, as well as the propagation of native tree species like the Palo Negro (Grabowskia boerhaviifolia – vulnerable) and the Algarrobo or carob tree (Prosopis pallida – endangered). The district of Lobitos and its surrounding natural areas are one of the last major habitats for the bird and its native dry forest is severely degraded.

Daily Life

• Building community nurseries for growing seedlings of native plant species for habitat recovery
• Reforestation of degraded areas with the seedlings
• Design, plan and execution of a local communications and educational campaign to increase awareness about the dangers to the Peruvian Plantcutter
• Liaise and get involvement from all local stakeholders in conservation efforts (local government, local military, local big oil industry, local people, schools, fishermen, other organizations, etc.)
• Manage land surrounding Lobitos under conservation strategies and community vigilance
• Monitoring and evaluation of project indicators
• Ideal times for the placement are between 1-4 months anytime between April and December 2017.

This project will benefit the community by building conservation conscience, among its members and key stakeholders, regarding the Peruvian Plantcutter, native species like the Algarrobo and Palo Negro and the dry forest ecosystem in general.

Through this project, the community will also be empowered on how to grow seedlings of the most threatened and important vegetation species of the dry forest and on how to propagate them through innovative reforestation techniques of degraded dry forest areas, recovering habitat for endangered species of birds.

The long-term aim is for the project to evolve into a community-led ecotourism venture where locals are trained and have the knowledge to guide tourists and birdwatchers into the surroundings of Lobitos where they can spot the Peruvian Plantcutter and other rare endemic birds while making an alternative income.

Please note: all information above is subject to change. Please check the most up to date information on the Global Nomadic website when applying.