from 582€

Brilliant 4.7rating (95)

Amphibian Researcher

location
3 - 50 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

rating  Brilliant 4.7  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate

Especially suitable

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Families
Groups
50+

About the program

Research amphibian ethology, embryology and viruses that affect frogs. Accompany the development of tadpoles in capitivity and search for frog in the field.

The project

The Amphibian Projects aims to study critical in the area of conservation. Frogs have been dramatically impacted by climate change which makes them a priority to research and protect.

Volunteer work

  • Tadpole Monitoring: IPBio collects tadpoles and monitors their development to study the ...

About the program

The project

The Amphibian Projects aims to study critical in the area of conservation. Frogs have been dramatically impacted by climate change which makes them a priority to research and protect.

Volunteer work

  • Tadpole Monitoring: IPBio collects tadpoles and monitors their development to study the embryological process as well as a the presence of a deadly fungus called Bd
  • Amphibian Ethology in Captivity: IPBio has species of frogs in captivity to study their food preference and mating habits
  • Amphibian inventories: IPBio wishes to understand the distribution of amphibians, understand their reproductive habits, track species composition and well-being as well as potential find new species. IPBio has 6 different sites each with 5 pitfalls each. Volunteers will need to open the pitfalls for 48 hours and visit the sites to collect data such as species, photograph, size, any diseases found or other relevant information for statistical analysis. This role demands volunteers who can deal with highly exhausting activities as a lot of hiking is required in difficult conditions.

Living at IPBio

Volunteers will stay at the Darwin Guest House, situated on the reserve itself, which accommodates up to 8 people in 2 rooms. This house has a bathroom with a hot shower and has a fully equipped kitchen where volunteers can cook. In addition, IPBio is in the process of constructing a new house to accommodate more volunteers, interns and researchers. It is the volunteer’s responsibility to maintain and clean the house; we take this very seriously. Shops are in the town of Iporanga 6km away from the reserve, which you can walk to or get a taxi, where there are various shops with all you will need. 

Every day you will wake up to the sound of birds, monkeys and frogs and can explore the reserves grounds. Our town is called the Cave Capital of Brazil so volunteers often visit our state parks to explore the caves.  Hike into the dense forest and visits to waterfalls are also common activities. Bouy cross, big balloons, are used to drift down the rivers, some of the river route are 3 hours long! After work volunteers can swim on the reserve deck, organize dinners, watch movies, read and go wildlife watching. On the weekend we often have a barbecue or organize dinner at a restaurant. Often there are social events or parties in the community that volunteers can go to.

Location

The Atlantic Forest stretches from the northeastern to the southern regions of Brazil and northern Argentina and southeastern Paraguay. Five hundred years ago, the Atlantic Forest of Brazil covered approximately 330 million acres, but today only 7% remains. In the Ribeira Valley, our region of the Atlantic Forest, we are at the footsteps of 21% of the 7% that is left, it being largest contiguous section of the Atlantic Forest. 

Despite the forests diminished state it still ranks as a global conservation priority. Although it is now just a small fraction of the size of the Amazon rainforest, the Atlantic Forest still harbors a range of biological diversity similar to that of the Amazon. The Atlantic Forest harbors around 2,200 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians – 5% of the vertebrates on Earth. This includes nearly 200 bird species found nowhere else. 

The Betary Reserve is located next to one of the most famous Brazilian State Parks named PETAR. The region is called the Cave Capital as it known for containing over 300 spectacular caves, some which are accessible to tourists.



Typical day

A typical work day starts at 9:00 am and ends at 4:00 pm. 

Two days a week the tadpoles will be weighted, measured and photographed to indentify if they show the presence of the fungus Bd.

Two days a week are dedicated to setting up the camera in the terrariums with frogs in captivity and sorting the ...

Typical day

A typical work day starts at 9:00 am and ends at 4:00 pm. 

Two days a week the tadpoles will be weighted, measured and photographed to indentify if they show the presence of the fungus Bd.

Two days a week are dedicated to setting up the camera in the terrariums with frogs in captivity and sorting the footage taken by a camera filming the animal 24/7 to identify its habits.

This role is often accompanied with small other tasks such as feeding the frogs and fish, conducting water monitoring tests and other smaller tasks.



Free-time activities

Caves: Iporanga is called “The Cave Capital of Brazil” with over 400 caves in the town. Below are just the highlights.

  • Casa da Pedra is the world’s largest cave entrance of 215 meters. The trip involves a 2-hour hike to the opening where there is a place to sit down and have a picnic and swim ...

Free-time activities

Caves: Iporanga is called “The Cave Capital of Brazil” with over 400 caves in the town. Below are just the highlights.

  • Casa da Pedra is the world’s largest cave entrance of 215 meters. The trip involves a 2-hour hike to the opening where there is a place to sit down and have a picnic and swim and then a hike back.
  • Temimina Cave has a large opening in the ceiling illuminating its oddly shaped diagonal garden. Then you enter into a dark cave where at the end you find a natural shower hole.
  • Nucleo Santana is a group of caves and is the most commonly visited as it has a wide range of different types of caves. In some caves you can swim.

Tubing/Boia Cross: is a sport where by you get on a big balloon and float down the river. There are various waterways you can do in Iporanga, some more radical and some in the big river which is very relaxing and can last 3 hours.

Cananeia: has various islands with dolphins swimming in between which are very easy to visualize. It is also known for its stunning beaches, awesome boat tours, great restaurants and the mangrove reserve where there are many crabs.

Waterfalls: Iporanga has many waterfalls. “Sem Fim” is a small waterfall walking distance from the reserve. “Vale das Ostras” has 12 large waterfalls in a row.

Quilombos: during the era of slavery many slaves would run away from the plantations and create settlements hidden in the forest. These communities live in relative isolation and you can visit their small towns. For some of the Quilombos the tours include travelling their by boat and having a traditional lunch at one of the families homes.

Social Events:

  • Dinners: there are many nice restaurants were volunteers can have dinner, some more classy like Casarao and some with traditional Brazilian food. There is also a great fish restaurant. Often volunteer will eat out on the weekends.
  • Town Parties: the are a couple of bars in town, some have pool tables and some have dancing areas. On holidays, there are usually town festivals on the streets.
  • BBQ: it is very common to have a BBQ on the weekend which is often accompanied with the traditional Brazilian drink called Caipirinha.


Requirements

Requirements

Minimum Age: 18 years

In order to join the program you need to be at least 18 years old on the program start date. There might be exemptions if you can provide the permission of your legal guardian(s) or if your are accompanied by your parents.

Language Skills

You need to speak English (intermediate level)

Required Documents

CV

Nationality Restrictions

No restrictions. Helping hands from all over the world are welcome.

Other Skills

Education in biology is beneficial but not a requirement

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday from 09:00 - 16:00

What's Included

What's Included

Services by IPBio - Reserva Betary

This covers your accommodation, full access to the reserve, internet access, project costs and the use of any equipment we have. Volunteers will pay for their own food and cook for themselves. Volunteers are also responsible for paying for any extra costs such as travel costs, visa costs etc. Volunteers are also responsible for covering their extra activities costs such as dinner out (without drinks) which ranges from 15 to 30 reais or PETAR State Park tour of caves (including a guide, equipment and entrance fee) which costs around 100 to 250 reais depending on how many volunteers go.

Accommodation

Volunteers will stay at the Darwin Guest House, situated on the reserve itself, which accommodates up to 14 people in 8 rooms. Two rooms are collective rooms and 6 rooms are single rooms. All rooms have air conditioning, closet space and electricity outlets. Individual rooms have a desk with a chair. The house has 4 bathrooms with hot showers, a washing machine and has a fully equipped kitchen where volunteers can cook. A cleaning lady provides basic cleaning services for public areas and will provide fresh bed linen once a week. However, it is also the volunteer’s responsibility to maintain and clean the house; we take this very seriously. Shops are located in the town of Iporanga 6km away from the reserve, which you can walk to or get a taxi, where there are various shops where you can by all the supplies you will need from groceries to toiletries. There is an organic small herb and vegetable patch volunteers can use in the gardens.

Internet Access

Good access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Airport Pickup at Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport

An airport pickup isn't included within the program fees either.

Food & Beverages

Food, snacks or beverages are at extra costs.

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Sao Paulo-Guarulhos International Airport (GRU) in Sao Paulo. We assist you to find cheap flights to Brazil. FIND CHEAP FLIGHTS

Travel Insurance

Going abroad is an adventure and it is always best to be prepared. Sudden illness or injury, cancellation or theft - a travel insurance for Brazil provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

If you are intending to volunteer in Brazil you should seek medical advice before starting your social journey. Check your required vaccinations for Brazil. VACCINE CHECKER

Details on arrival

Field research on biodiversity using pitfalls only occurs from November to March but the rest of the program occurs all year long.

Availability
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

Program fees

3 weeks (min. stay) 582€
50 weeks (max. stay) 9,693€
Average fees 193€/week

Program fees

193€ per week 3 - 50 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES


Duration

3 - 50 weeks

Deposit

The deposit is simply to reserve your volunteer placement. Payments are handled by PayPal, our trusted global payment provider. If you don't have a PayPal account, you can also pay using a credit card.


Final Payment

Your final payment will be agreed with IPBio - Reserva Betary during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.


Meet your organization

IPBio - Reserva Betary

Brilliant 4.7 rating (95 reviews)

Non-profit

Verified by Volunteer World

  Very high response rate

Coordinated by

Imran

Spoken languages: English

About the project

IPBio is a nonprofit NGO that develops projects on biodiversity and environmental education for the purpose of ecological conservation.

Meet your organization

The Biodiversity Research Institute (IPBio) is a place where research meets conservation. IPBio is a non-governmental, non-profit organization that develops and supports projects in environmental education and scientific research on biodiversity, ecology as well as on the behavior of species of fauna and flora of Brazilian ecosystems.

IPBio’s mission is to encourage conservation, management and sustainable use of natural resources; and promote the development of eco-tourism and cultural projects.

In 2009, the Institute received the title of `Advanced Outpost` by the Atlantic Forest Biosphere Reserve, linked to UNESCO, and had this title renewed in May of 2015. IPBio's success as a pioneer in Brazilian research has allowed it to expand and in the near future will be celebrating the inauguration of its new research center based in the Amazon Rainforest.

The IPBio projects seek to include the general public, not only scientists, and communicate the wonders of nature to all. We believe that humanity must understand, value and connect with nature before we can conserve it.

95 reviews · rating4.7

Maisie Margeret rating5

2020 at Amphibian Researcher

I loved my time in Brazil with IPBio, their volunteer program is very well-run and is located in a beautiful location. The reserve is absolutely gorgeous, with hummingbirds flying around at all times and a nice place to swim in the river right behind our house. The volunteer house has a fully ...
Malaurie Hons rating5

2019 at Amphibian Researcher

I spent almost 4 months at Reserva Betary as an amphibian researcher. These 4 months were the best 4 months of my entire life. Surrounded by all this nature and biodiversity, I felt like I wanted to stay here forever. The researches that are going on are very interesting. As an amphibian researcher, ...
Shelbey rating5

2019 at Amphibian Researcher

I am a 22 year old from Canada with an Environmental Technician diploma and I volunteered at IPBio for 5 weeks. I was hoping to freshen up my field and lab skills and broaden my knowledge of the natural environment during my stay. The Betary reserve was exactly what I was hoping it would be. The ...
Danielle Hendrick rating4.8

2019 at Amphibian Researcher

Becoming a volunteer at IPBio is simply the best choice you can make! Living and working in the middle of a rainforest is an experience you will not forget anytime soon. I came to IPBio as a Mathematics student who wanted to do something else for a change. The joint role of eco volunteer and ...
Eva Van Gelder rating4.8

2019 at Amphibian Researcher

First of all, I have to say that my three months at the betary reserve of IPBio have been amongst the best ones of my life. I was there as an amphibian researcher, but this took up less than half of my working time here, the other time I spent together with the eco-volunteers. I always loved the ...
Matt Owen rating5

2019 at Amphibian Researcher

I’m Matt from Wales and I spent eight weeks at IPBio working in the frog lab and setting up a camera trap project. My time at IPBio has been filled with fun and learning at every stage. From hiking through the forest to check for amphibians in the pitfall traps, to studying disease in tadpoles in ...

Location

Americas > South America > Brazil > Iporanga

You might also be interested in

Contact Imran
  Very high response rate
English

Most volunteers ask about


Do you have any more questions? Send a message to Imran
Please do not share personal contact details for your privacy