Volunteer in Sea Turtle Conservation Pacific

Program Summary:
The turtle project on the Pacific coast like other coastal-marine resource conservation projects has been developed in response to the urgent necessity to protect the few natural nesting sites that do not hold any official category of protection from the Government.

The volunteer work in National Parks appears to solve the problems related to lack of personnel and budget cutbacks that the Ministry of Environment has to face everyday; therefore, the volunteers play a crucial role in the conservation efforts: without volunteers, these efforts would be lost.

Your role as a volunteer

The Buenavista initiative consists of four core objectives:

• Analyze and collect data on the nesting dynamics of the female sea turtles that arrive on the beach, in order to predict their nesting behavior for the following year.
• Protect and closely monitor nesting sites and to recover nests within known breeding grounds.
• To transfer the information generated to the local authorities and local communities in order to suggest a plan for regulating and protecting the beach and raising awareness of areas that need to be protected.
• Initiate fund raising events in order to generate funds and resources to construct a conservation station in Buenavista.

Your daily tasks will involve the following:

• Construction of the breeding grounds
• Beach signaling
• Patrol walks to protect nests, females and for data collection purposes (Biometry, marking, etc.)
• Transfer of nests and monitoring of the breeding grounds
• Registry of breeding ground information
• Liberation of newborn turtles
• Nest exhumation

Program Schedule

Depending on the type of work that you are performing, your hours can vary between 4-6 hours in the morning, afternoon or night. Patrolling activities will typically be performed at night while research is conducted during the day. We must stress that sometimes the work can be very physically demanding and the emphasis of the project is strongly (and happily) on conservation.

Project Location

The sea turtle conservation project of Playa Buenavista is situated in the northeastern Pacific coast in the Guanacaste province. It is located about 3.5 kilometers north from the town of Samara.

Suggested resources to be brought to project

Flashlight, sleeping bag, batteries, hiking shoes, sun block, repellent, rain clothes, hat or cap, books and a mosquito net. Most people do not take pills against Malaria, but if you want to ensure your safety and health, you should take them.

Program Requirements & What kind of skills you need to go on this type of placement

The turtle conservation projects are designed to allow our volunteers to have hands-on experience in marine turtle conservation. No prior knowledge or experience in turtle conservation is necessary. Volunteers should enjoy manual work and working with wildlife and be prepared to work unusual hours as turtle nesting typically occurs during the night.

Accommodation

Volunteers will be living in a very basic conditions on a beautifull beach. They will be housed in a two story cabin; the kitchen and living area are on the ground floor, and the dormitories are on the second floor. The single mixed dormitory sleeps up 12 pople. There are functional sanitary services and showers. There is no electricity, but there is telephone.

Meals are provided 3 times a day (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and consists of traditional Costa Rican cuisine such as rice, beans, basic grains, pastas, meats, vegetables and fruits.

Project Transport Arrangements

There are no transport arrangements as volunteers will live on camp close to the nesting grounds.