• Life On Land

Forest Conservation

location
2 - 12 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+
rating  Good 4.2  · 
  Verified by Volunteer World
  Very high response rate

Highlights

  • Contribute to a project very hands-on outdoor experience focused on regenerating the native forest of Portugal;
  • Meet other like-minded volunteers from all over the world;
  • Learn Portuguese and improve your communication skills;
  • Have fun in beautiful Lisbon volunteers accommodation;
  • Discover the wonders of the Portuguese Capital.

Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
50+

About the program

The Forest Conservation program aims to implement initiatives that promote the ecological recovery of degraded areas through the restoration of native forests and species

Forests and natural parks provide essential ecosystem functions, such as climate regulation, soil erosion control, water filtration, carbon sequestration, and air purification. Our Forest Conservation program focuses on developing and implementing projects that promote the ecological recovery of ...

About the program

Forests and natural parks provide essential ecosystem functions, such as climate regulation, soil erosion control, water filtration, carbon sequestration, and air purification. Our Forest Conservation program focuses on developing and implementing projects that promote the ecological recovery of degraded areas through the restoration of native forests and species.

What to Expect:

  • Ecosystem Restoration: Participate in projects aimed at enhancing natural heritage, reducing environmental damage, and promoting biodiversity.

  • Community Engagement: Work alongside local volunteers, coordinators, and community members to create a visible impact and raise awareness about forest conservation.

  • Seasonal Activities: Learn about different areas and forests, and take various actions depending on the time of year, such as planting, maintenance, and invasive species control.

Daily Tasks:

  • Invasive Species Control: Apply techniques to manage invasive alien species threatening natural areas.

  • Planting and Maintenance: Plant native species using diverse methodologies, mainly in autumn and winter, and maintain planted areas.

  • Biodiversity Protection: Protect biodiversity niches and manage pedestrian trails.

  • Conservation Efforts: Assist with conservation efforts in Sintra-Cascais Nature Park and other natural ecosystems.

Why Join?

  • Make an Impact: Contribute to the restoration of native forests and the preservation of natural ecosystems.

  • Gain Experience: Develop skills in forest conservation, fieldwork, and community engagement.

  • Cultural Immersion: Experience Portuguese culture while exploring the country's natural environment.

Ready to Protect Forests?

Typical day

After the initial orientation, you will have a morning or afternoon shift at your placement and will work for approximately 3 to 5 hours per day. Please note that start times and daily workload depends on the project that you are participating in. A typical morning schedule is as follows:

08:00 | ...

Typical day

After the initial orientation, you will have a morning or afternoon shift at your placement and will work for approximately 3 to 5 hours per day. Please note that start times and daily workload depends on the project that you are participating in. A typical morning schedule is as follows:

08:00 | Breakfast begins at Impact house, available until 10 am

10:15 | Travel to placement to join local placement staff and begin work on your project (if morning shift)                                                                     

13:00 |  Lunch is served at the accommodation or take-away if you want to go somewhere else                                

14:30 | Enjoy your free afternoon as you wish or to attend Portuguese languages lessons 

19:00 | Dinner at the volunteers' accommodation with the other volunteers. After dinner, you will have the remainder of the evening free to relax and use as you wish

Please note that the actual schedule can change according to the shifts volunteers participate in.

Free-time activities

Lisbon is near the beach, near the mountain and is a great starting point to get to travel for the rest of the country.

Enjoy climbing in Arrábida, festivals all around the summer, diving in Peniche, hiking in Monsanto, visit some of the best museums in Europe in Lisbon and Porto, join for a horse ...

Free-time activities

Lisbon is near the beach, near the mountain and is a great starting point to get to travel for the rest of the country.

Enjoy climbing in Arrábida, festivals all around the summer, diving in Peniche, hiking in Monsanto, visit some of the best museums in Europe in Lisbon and Porto, join for a horse ride at the beach (like in the movies!), visit the fantastic zoo in the Capital, join a great variety of sports at your choice, enjoy swimming and water sports at the pool or at the beach (warning: the water is cold) and participate in yoga classes in relaxing places as our accommodation.

We can help you with anything you might want to do in your free time.

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 (basic level)

Nationality Restrictions

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

Time Commitment

Your helping hand will be required on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday

What's Included

What's Included

Services by ImpacTrip

What’s included?

- Pick up at the international airport in Lisbon & transfer to the accommodation - Sunday 

On Sunday, the ImpacTrip team will be at the airport waiting for you with a big sign and a smile on their face! :)

If you arrive prior to Sunday, you will still be able to receive an airport pickup and our team can transport you to the accommodation, but you will need to pay an extra fee for this service.
We will reach out to you by WhatsApp a few days before your start date to connect


- Accommodation at a dormitory at an impactful hostel, female dormitory, or mixed dormitory

- Three meals a day everyday: Breakfast, lunch, and dinner (Local style. Vegetarian, gluten-free, and meals for lactose-intolerant are also available upon request)

- Shared use of a common room, outdoor area, garden, and free WIFI

- Orientation event on arrival (including an introduction to Portugal and culture, volunteer experience, an overview of programs, practical information, and safety guidelines)

- SIM card

- Guided city tour

- The best tips to discover the city!

- Allocation and coordination of a work placement in an impactful non-profit project

- Introduction on the first day of volunteering

- Ongoing support throughout the stay

- 24h/7 emergency support

- Limited coverage civil liability insurance.

Airport Pickup at Lisbon Portela Airport

On Sunday, the ImpacTrip team will be at the airport waiting for you with a big sign and a smile on their face! :)

If you arrive prior to Sunday, you will still be able to receive an airport pickup and our team can transport you to the accommodation, but you will need to pay an extra fee for this service.

We will reach out to you by WhatsApp a few days before your start date to connect

Accommodation

Volunteers will stay accommodated in a in a dormitory-style sustainable hostel in Estoril.

Estoril is a beach town, a 30 min train ride from Lisbon city centre!

And the hostel is a 5 min walk from the train station

This sustainable hotel has dormitory-style rooms accommodating from 6-14 participants (single gender) and private rooms (available for upgrades upon request. Bathrooms are shared).

Wi-fi is freely available in the hostel, and of course in many cafe's and restaurants.

Around the house there are big common areas to relax and meet other people from all over the world.

We are extremely dedicated to its sustainable concept, making it an integrated part of how this hostel works and the experience that you will have.

Feel free to ask us about our environmental measures and to give us new ideas!

Food & Beverages

All meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) are included on the program fees. 

Portuguese food is delicious and during your time, you will be sure to receive some incredible treats.

The meals are prepared daily by local cooks who use fresh local ingredients to offer volunteers the best of typical Portuguese dishes.

Volunteers are provided with three meals per day (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Volunteers will have access to a shared kitchen that they can use to cook!

Lunch and Dinner will include local staples such as fish and chicken, as well as rice, pasta, vegetables and salad.

Breakfast is self-served at the accommodation and generally includes tea, coffee, bread, cheese, ham, spreads, cereal, yogurt and fruit


Internet Access

Good access at the project site

What's NOT included?

What's NOT included?

Flight Tickets

The nearest airport is Lisbon Portela Airport (LIS) in Lisbon. We assist you to find cheap flights to Portugal. 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 Portugal provides security and is a plus to have. GET A QUOTE

Vaccines

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

Details on arrival

This program starts every Sunday!

You should arrive on Sunday (or before) to attend the orientation session on Monday morning.

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

Program fees

2 weeks (min. stay) 1,415€
3 weeks 1,790€
4 weeks 2,165€
5 weeks 2,540€
6 weeks 2,915€
7 weeks 3,290€
8 weeks 3,665€
9 weeks 4,040€
10 weeks 4,415€
11 weeks 4,790€
12 weeks (max. stay) 5,165€
Average fees 568€/week

Program fees

568€ per week 2 - 12 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES

Duration

2 - 12 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 ImpacTrip during the application process. Common solutions are either via bank transfer or a cash payment at the project site.

Meet your organization

ImpacTrip

Good 4.2 rating (70 reviews)

Agency - founded in 2015

Verified by Volunteer World

  Very high response rate

Coordinated by

Cristiana

Spoken languages: Portuguese, Spanish, English

About the project

ImpacTrip is a social enterprise that promotes Responsible Travel Experiences in Portugal, Spain and Croatia.

Meet your organization

ImpacTrip is a social business internationally certified as B-Corp that promotes Responsible Travel Experiences in Portugal, Spain and Croatia.

Founded in 2015 by two dedicated social entrepreneurs that want to change the way people travel, ImpacTrip aims at combining the best of travel with a positive social and environmental impact.

We really want travelers to have the most unique and meaningful travel experiences.

We offer short-term Travel Experiences across our country that allow you and other Responsible Travelers to connect with the locals, experience the culture and contribute in a positive way to the local communities.

We also offer long-term volunteer programs in which you can dedicate 1 to 12 weeks volunteering for local non-profits for a specific cause while meeting people from all over the world.

Since 2015 we've received people from over 50+ different nationalities that contributed with over 30.000 hours of volunteer work to support over 300 non-profits.

70 reviews · rating4.2

Alba Gala Torrero rating5

2024 at Youth Supporter

I recommend this experience to absolutely anyone, it was the best of my life. The first week my placement was in a Skatepark in Cascais, so I had to catch a train and then a bus. Although it was good and the commute was fine, I didn't feel comfortable at the beggining so I asked to switch to a ...
Martin Hag rating3.6

2024 at Environmental Scuba Diving

The people working there were really supportive and genuinely wish for you to have a good experience. My first day was an introduction to the area, possibility to get help with the tickets for the public transports and a guided tour of Lisbon. They also have communication chats for you to contact ...
Thomas Payne rating3.2

2024 at Animal Care and Protection

Honestly, I was surprised, when on the website it shows photos of so many dogs, animals, it turned out I was working at a cat sanctuary. It's not that I was disappointed by the cats, it was just a shock, and also, at points of the sanctuary I feel like I wasn't apart of it massively, there wasn't ...
Isabel Hager rating2.6

2024 at Environmental Scuba Diving

Here’s a more formal and assertive version of your feedback: After months of requesting a detailed schedule for our diving experience, we only received the information after all payments had already been made. To pay €1,500 for a week, only to end up with just four dives, is completely ...
Louise Rivet rating1.8

2024 at English Teaching to the community

Unfortunately, my experience was not the best one. The lodging was too far from the project; we had to travel almost two hours to get there. The classes were not organized. After one week, and following my request, I was assigned to a school which was fine but still one hour bus and metro to get ...
Lian Van Haaster rating1.4

2024 at Impact Surf Camp

I would not recommend the Impact Surf Camp program. I thought it was way too expensive for what you get in return. When I was there, early November 2024, I was the only one who had booked the Surf Camp program. At first it was cancelled the day before it started because of the weather, even though ...

Location

Europe > Southern Europe > Portugal > Lisbon

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Volunteer Abroad  >  Environment  >  Conservation Work in Portugal
Contact Cristiana
  Very high response rate
Portuguese, Spanish, English

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