Costa Rica Conservation - Gandoca-Manzanillo Sea Turtle Project

  Costa Rica

• Eastern Lowlands: 
Limon

Durations of Program: 5-8 weeks, 9-12 weeks, 3-6 months and 7-12 months
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: Year round, monthly departures

Description: Association ANAI is a small non-profit organisation that was formed in 1978 to pursue what has since become known as sustainable development in Costa Rica's Talamanca region.

The staff include agronomists, foresters, biologists, economists and educators. With the exception of the three founders, the staff and the Board of Directors are all Costa Ricans.

Before the phrase "sustainable development" came into fashion, ANAI was successfully pioneering strategies to help the people in Talamanca become more economically self-reliant, while preserving the area's extraordinary rain forests and other natural wonders. ANAI and the Talamanca Initiative have been proud recipients of the United Nations Equator Prize which recognizes "extraordinary accomplishments in reducing poverty in the tropics through conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity".

Talamanca, located in the southeast corner of the country is the poorest of Costa Rica's regions in socio-economic terms but the richest in terms of biodiversity and remaining tropical forest ecosystems.

The mission of ANAI is to help the people of Talamanca design and implement a strategy linking socio-economic development, cultural strengthening and biodiversity conservation.

Highlights: This placement needs volunteers because the community members on their own cannot handle the amount of work needed to protect the numbers of sea turtles which nest at Gandoca. As well, because the town is so remote there are few economic opportunities, so having people coming to the community helps to support the economy of the town. Working with the turtles is a brilliant and unforgettable experience and we really need your help. It is estimated that if the current rate of decline is not stopped the Leatherback Sea Turtle will be extinct within 20 years.

Volunteer respsonsibilities including the following:
Task 1. The main work of the volunteers involves night patrols and hatchery shifts. There are two nightly patrols, from 8:00 to 12 midnight to 4:00 a.m. where a shift of volunteers led by an experience patrol leader walk a sector of the 11 km beach searching for nesting females.

Once a turtle is encountered on a night patrol the volunteers work directly with the turtle, taking carapace and nest dimension measurements, collecting eggs and tagging the rear flipper of the turtle.

The collected eggs are then relocated on the beach or taken to the hatchery, where the volunteers on shift will build a new nest to specification and transplant the eggs. The number of eggs, nest location and turtle identification information (tag number) is then recorded by the hatchery attendant for further data analysis including hatchling survival rate.

Task 2. Other daytime work at the project in Gandoca may involve beach cleanup.

Task 3. Small projects, including initial construction of the hatcheries.

Task 4. Caring of the hatcheries. The approximate incubation time for leatherback Turtle eggs is 60 days, therefore midway through the season, the duties of the hatchery attendants increases as the hatchlings are encountered they must be counted and released in the evening to an appropriate location along the high tide line and watched until they reach the sea, We should not release the hatchlings directly on the sea.

Qualifications: Volunteers should be in the physical condition to walk 10 to 15 km per night and have no severe eyesight problems as most work is at night without the use of artificial lights. They should be respectful, nature loving, active and have a positive attitude. No abuse of illegal drugs or consumption of alcohol during working hours is premitted at any time. Non-smoking volunteers are also prefered. Those who smoke should do so only in open areas and never on nightly patrols.

People that are not willing to work under difficult and uncomfortable conditions, those who are allergic to mosquito bites may have a difficult time at this placement. This will also be a challenging placement for those who cannot live in an isolated location, as accomodation is in the middle of a wildlife refuge.

Cost in US$: $1850 USD for 4 weeks; $165 each additional week

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: We believe everyone can contribute by volunteering. Recent graduates from high school, college or university, professionals taking a career break, recent retirees, individuals or groups who are interested in a change and the chance to enrich their own life and the lives of others. If you are 18 years or older you can apply for any of the placements available. If you are from 16-18 years old you may apply for placements near our Volunteer Abroad Office and Residence, so that we are able to give you more support. Both students and professionals are needed for placements in all our countries.

Age Range: 18+

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel to Costa Rica Independently

Typically Participants Work Independently or in Groups of Custom

Application Process Involves:

• Letters of Reference
• Resume
• Written Application

Basecamp International Centers's Mission Statement: We believe international volunteering promotes cross-cultural learning that helps create global awareness, understanding between cultures and provides the platform for positive change. Our volunteers have taught in schools, provided disaster relief support for the International Red Cross, conducted essential research to improve the management strategies of threatened environments, built homes for impoverished people, provided vocational training and programs for street kids and have worked in co-operation with hundreds of local organizations to distribute aid and improve the quality of life for people throughout Asia, Africa and Latin America.

Year Founded: 1998