Program Highlights
UN’s Sustainable Development Goals:
This program is ideal for
Compassionate and nature-devoted volunteers who possess a strong sense of environmental stewardship. Volunteers who are patient, observant, and enthusiastic about hands-on conservation efforts will thrive. If you're eager to make a tangible impact, embrace outdoor challenges, and foster a deeper connection with marine life, this opportunity is perfect for you.
As a sea turtle nest monitor, you will walk a 6km stretch of beautiful Isabela beach at early light and in the late evening. Depending on the time of the season you arrive, you may be lucky enough (but of course not guaranteed) to observe a turtle nesting (January through mid-March) or in mid-March through May observe turtle hatchlings leave the nest. During your patrol you will collect baseline data for the Galapagos National Park to support the management plan of the local beach. This will include:
- Determining nesting patterns of the Green Sea Turtle, the species that nests on Isabela beaches, and marking off laid nests.
- Observing and taking data on nest sizes
- As you walk the beach, picking up rubbish and debris to keep the beach clear for the turtles.
- Kikuyo removal - you will also be asked to dedicate 3 hours weekly (usually Wednesdays) to the removal of kikuyo from the turtle nesting area. Kikuyo is a highly invasive plant to Isabela that chokes out other native plant species and that overgrows into areas along the beach that sea turtles can no longer use to nest. Its removal will be an important part of your role.
- Beach profiling - if you’ll be volunteering on this project around the 15th of each month (during the nesting season), we will need your help to measure beach erosion to determine the current beach profile. This data collection allows us to compare changes in the beach profile over time, ultimately leading to better management of the beach as erosion is a consequence of many factors.
Your Volunteering journey simplified
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Select a destination & project.
Apply for free. -
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Directly talk to us & your selected organisation.
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Pay a 15% deposit fee to secure your place at the volunteer program.
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That’s it! Get ready to volunteer aboard. We’ll support you every step of the way!
