CONSERVATION IN THE HEART OF THE AMAZON RAINFOREST

This international volunteering opportunity in the Peruvian rainforest offers you the chance to become involved in wildlife projects, such as animal release programs and turtle monitoring, as well as working with local people on various conservation projects such as a pilot farm.

At Taricaya you will work in co-ordination with local people. They help us with our conservation projects and we help them with their farming and by helping look after their unique environment. There is an experimental pilot farm where we pass on ideas and techniques to local farmers and then support them - growing mahogany, coffee and cocoa along with livestock management and crop rotations. Now, the new Trans-Amazon highway will also bring in tourists and make cash crop production more profitable. By joining this project you will be helping local people to avoid potential damage and to conserve the few remaining areas of untouched forest.

The pilot farm concept aims to help local people to manage their land efficiently and hence reduce their impact on the surrounding forest. At Taricaya, we can perform various experiments with crops and productivity on behalf of the local farmers, which they themselves don’t have time or the facilities to test.

At Taricaya, we are also undertaking a long-term conservation project involving side necked turtles (Podocnemsis unifilis). Population numbers have declined for decades due to the high commercial value of their eggs. Locals can raise large amounts of money, relatively speaking, by selling turtle eggs in Peruvian markets. In Puerto Maldonado the problem is particularly severe – local communities have relied on this income for several generations.

Last year, in conjunction with the local community, we successfully raised and released over 970 young turtles back into the wild. We engrave the young turtles with a code on their shells, which means that future recapture will associate the individuals with our project at Taricaya. This project is temporal between the months of July and September with the eventual release of turtles from our artificial beach in December.

Your time at Taricaya will help us achieve many short and long term goals and you can rest assured that we are achieving our goals of conservation in the area. Without your help, our work would not be possible.

This project is available for two weeks if you don't have time to join us for a month or more. This project has been selected by our local colleagues as being suitable for short term volunteering for both the host community and the volunteer. Although you will gain a valuable cultural insight and work intensely on a variety of conservation activities please be aware that you may not be able to make the same impact as someone volunteering for a longer period. Volunteers joining this project for just two weeks should arrive at a weekend.

The rainforest project in Peru is one for the more adventurous! But nonetheless the accommodation is comfortable and three square meals are provided.

TRIP DATES

Depart any day of the year (weekend start preferred for those joining the 2 week trip)

TRIP COST

TRIP INCLUSIONS

* Project – the full organisation of the project including a supervisor * Accommodation * 3 meals a day * Medical and travel insurance * Pre-departure support * 24/7 in-country support