The Program
Trails - we have a couple of trails around the reserve
which will need to maintained for visits. Grabbing a machete, you will cut back
any plants that are intrusively in the way or are prickly.
Animal Enclosures - we have a turtle tank and an
aquarium which we will need help cleaning, fixing or expanding.
The Grounds - the reserve is 60 hectares so we need to
ensure it is in good condition and looks presentable to the general public who
visits.
The Microclimate Greenhouse - we have a
greenhouse which has various frogs living in it. Help maintaining the
infrastructure and the plants with the greenhouse would be great.
Vegetable and Herb Patch - we want to expand the patch
so we can produce our own food for our staff and volunteers. Setting up
infrastructure is essential as we also want this area to be a place where
people can sit on benches or do picnics. Planting and watering will also be
required and any experience with organic farming would be great as all our
produce uses zero pesticides.
This activity is part of a larger role named the "Eco-Volunteer" role which 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
Volunteers will stay at the Darwin 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. It is the volunteer’s
responsibility to maintain and clean the house, we
take this very seriously. Volunteers can use our
organic vegetable and herb patch in their cuisine. Shops are in the town of Iporanga
6km away from the reserve, which you can walk or get
a lift, 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. During the weekend volunteers can visit the
State Parks to explore the caves, hike into the dense
forest surrounding them or visit the waterfalls. At the
reserve we have a deck where you can swim as well as
use our tubes (big circular water balloons) to drift
down the river along with the current. Volunteers can
also organize dinners, movie nights or social events which can be enjoyed with a glass
of wine or two. You can use the internet at the Center to Skype loved ones.
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.
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