from 2,337€

Brilliant 4.7rating (98)

Bioluminescence & Mushroom Field Researcher

location
12 - 50 weeks  ·  Age 18 - 50+

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

Especially good for

Age 18+
Singles
Couples
50+

About the program

Searching for new species of bioluminescent mushrooms, photographing them and finding conditions for cultivation. 🔬

The Program

IPBio is looking for long-term volunteers (minimum 3 month stay but preferably 6 months) who would focus on searching for new species of bioluminescent mushrooms; photographing them and finding the conditions that allows us to cultivate them in the lab. This position will continue every ...

About the program

The Program

IPBio is looking for long-term volunteers (minimum 3 month stay but preferably 6 months) who would focus on searching for new species of bioluminescent mushrooms; photographing them and finding the conditions that allows us to cultivate them in the lab. This position will continue every year so that new tests can be conducted depending on the accumulaton of information we gather from our studies.

Recently the Laboratory of bioluminescent Fungus of the Chemistry Institute from the University of Sao Paulo, in collaboration with IPBio, discovered 5 new species of bioluminescent mushrooms and the article has just been published. Our region has the highest concentration in the world of bioluminescent mushrooms. Moreover, as the studies of these mushrooms are all relatively recent it is possible (we would argue very likely) that many new species will be discovered over the next few years. Moreover, we also have a variety of gorgeous mushrooms that are not bioluminescent that we need to catalogue. 

We need volunteers with artistic skills who know how to use the various settings on a professional camera.

Education in biology, microbiology or biochemistry would be a huge benefit; however, we are willing to accept a non-biologist who is very interested, willing to learn and who would stay 6 months so they have time to train.

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.  



Typical day

A typical working day will range from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm including the tasks of:

  • Night visiting of the forest
  • Photographing in the wild
  • Collecting mushrooms for analysis
  • Day visiting of the forest
  • Filming
  • Lab testing

Typical day

A typical working day will range from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm including the tasks of:

  • Night visiting of the forest
  • Photographing in the wild
  • Collecting mushrooms for analysis
  • Day visiting of the forest
  • Filming
  • Lab testing


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, Interest in IPBio Form and Health and Medical Insurance

Nationality Restrictions

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

Other Skills

Artistic feel for photography. Experience in the lab.

Time Commitment

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

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

12 weeks (min. stay) 2,337€
50 weeks (max. stay) 9,741€
Average fees 194€/week

Program fees

194€ per week 12 - 50 weeks Age 18 - 50+

Payment methods

Visa Master Card Maestro American Express PayPal

NO CREDIT CARD FEES


Duration

12 - 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

One of the best choices I have ever made was choosing to apply for IPBio. I had just finished my bachelors degree weeks before I left to work for IPBio as a bioluminescent mushroom researcher. I was greeted all along the way with friendly and helpful staff. Every concern of any volunteer was taken ...
IPBio is an awesome organization. In terms of communication, they do an awesome job considering the challenges of the jungle. In terms of organization, I found the work comfortably structured but also open ended as I was able to design and pursue many of my own projects. While I was there, I had the ...
Michael Salgado rating4.2

2018 at Bioluminescence & Mushroom Field Researcher

At the Atlantic Forest Betary Reserve Field Station the work was enjoyable and rewarding and the staff and locals are all very friendly and welcoming. By the end of my stay everyone felt like family. I always had the weekends to look forward to because there were so many tourist activities to take ...
When I started looking for volunteer programs abroad focusing on research, there weren't many to find, if at all. I was very lucky to find the Bioluminescent Mushroom Researching Program and it sounded really cool (I mean glowing mushrooms!). All in all I had a great time, I was able to meet awesome ...
I came to IPBio for six months to work in the bioluminescent mushroom program. It was overall a wonderful experience. The reserve is in a great location, surrounded by lush forest full of animals and birds, so for anyone that likes nature it is glorious. The area the reserve is in is full of caves ...
I am here in Brazil to photograph bioluminescent mushrooms. I am a photographer currently working in London mainly in fashion but I decided to try something new. Research and work here puts you in touch with nature and helps one form an understanding of the challenges we face in preserving the ...

Location

Americas > South America > Brazil > Iporanga

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