Costa Rica Conservation - Osa Sea Turtle Conservation

  Costa Rica

• Eastern Lowlands: 
San Pedro Montes de Oca

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; montly 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".

Volunteers are integral to the success of the Osa Sea Turtle Conservation Program. Volunteers help to patrol the beaches looking for nesting sea turtles, record data, look for and relocate nests, release hatchlings, and maintain the hatchery.

Highlights: Volunteers will participate in many activites, including, but not limited to:

1. Nightly beach patrols: This includes monitoring the beach for six hours, from 8pm to 2am, looking for nesting activity and moving nests to the hatchery.
2. Hatchery duties: Checking the hatchery every 3 hours for hatched baby turtles, keeping it free of weeds and debris and excavating when nests have hatched.
3. Other duties: Correcting and transferring data, preparing materials for night patrols, beach clean-up.

Qualifications: Volunteers do not need any specific skills or training, but they must be physically fit and prepared to walk long distances in soft sand in hot, humid conditions. They must also be prepared to live in very rustic conditions - there are no phone lines or electricity (solar power is used), but there is clean drinking water. Volunteers should be motivated, dedicated and interested in conservation. Those who cannot walk long distances, do not enjoy working at night, or who do not like living in very rustic conditions may have difficulty with this project.

Cost in US$: USD1,850 for 4 weeks; USD165 for 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

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