• Life On Land

Biodiversity Research Assistant (Eco-Supporter)

location
3 - 50 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
rating  Brilliant 4.7  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate

Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
Families
Groups
50+

About the program

Help our biologists perform monitoring and research of wildlife. Tasks can range from setting up cameras for mammals in the forest to reproducing insects in the lab.

The Wildlife Research Assistant role is part of a larger role named "Eco-Volunteer". The difference is that you may additionally be assigned to support a specific research project as an assistant or help in additional tasks ran by another staff member or a volunteer when needed.

The ...

About the program

The Wildlife Research Assistant role is part of a larger role named "Eco-Volunteer". The difference is that you may additionally be assigned to support a specific research project as an assistant or help in additional tasks ran by another staff member or a volunteer when needed.

The Eco-Volunteer role contains a range of activities which are conducted in a group. The majority of these tasks are field activities so this is for volunteers who like to be outside and enjoy physical activity. Not all these projects occur at the same time as various projects are seasonal. Tasks of an eco-volunteer are not limited to the roles below but we have listed the main areas that the eco-volunteer will participate in: Tree Inventory, Gardening/Reserve Maintenance; Mushroom Inventory; Tadpole Research; Bird Inventory; Mammal Monitoring using Cameratraps; Fish Inventory; Literature Research; Communications Support; Creative/Arts & Crafts projects and much more.

Living at IPBio

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. The Research Assistant role is very variable, however, a typical work day might go something like this:

  • 9.00-12.00: hike in the forest to set up bushnell camera-traps to photograph mammals
  • 12.00-13.00: lunch
  • 13.00-14.00: feeding fish in the ...

Typical day

A typical work day starts at 9:00 am and ends at 4:00 pm. The Research Assistant role is very variable, however, a typical work day might go something like this:

  • 9.00-12.00: hike in the forest to set up bushnell camera-traps to photograph mammals
  • 12.00-13.00: lunch
  • 13.00-14.00: feeding fish in the aquarium
  • 14.00-16.00: assist biologist in the lab reproducing insects

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 ...

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/Resume

Nationality Restrictions

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

Other Skills

Any experience or education in relevent scientific fields would be useful but are not required. You either need to speak English or Portuguese.

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

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

Program fees

3 weeks (min. stay) 596€
50 weeks (max. stay) 9,934€
Average fees 198€/week

Program fees

198€ 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 (98 reviews)

Non-profit - founded in 2014

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.

98 reviews · rating4.7

The reserve is absolutely amazing! It's so peaceful and beautiful, and all the people working there are really lovely. As a biologist, I got to learn so much about Brazilian biodiversity and the methods used to research it. Disconnecting from everyday life and connecting with nature has been an ...
I chose this program to fulfill an internship requirement for my degree program but the IPBio Amazon volunteer program went above and beyond my expectations. Not only did I have the opportunity to engage in meaningful work everyday either in the field or in the local community in Alter do Chao but I ...
I am currently on a gap year and I decided to volunteer at IPBio as an Eco-Volunteer. I spend 3 weeks there and wished I had gone for a longer stay. It was an amazing experience. The programme is extremely well organized and the people on the staff are very kind and helpful. You get to do a variety ...
Cassandra Liévin rating3.4

2019 at Biodiversity Research Assistant (Eco-Supporter)

I'm Cassandra and I comme from Belgium. I stayed only 2weeks as an ecovolunteer, but it still impacts me a lot. At first, it's quite hard to adapt yourself to the langage and simple other people mentality, etc. But rapidly, you just open your mind, meet incredible people, visit this wonderful ...
Hello Everyone, I am an Environmental Engineering major from Miami Florida and my last two months have been spent volunteering at Betary Reserve. The position that I undertook coming in was a Biological Research Assistant, this is a more specialized role in comparison to one of the other options ...
I have spent the past two months volunteering at IPBio as an eco-volunteer and I couldn’t image a better way to have spent my summer. This position was amazing because I had the opportunity to participate in and learn about many different projects such as tree, bird, mushroom and fish inventory as ...

Location

Americas > South America > Brazil > Iporanga

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Volunteer Abroad  >  Animals  >  Wildlife Conservation in Brazil
Contact Imran
  Very high response rate
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