from 585€

Brilliant 4.7rating (98)

Mammal Monitoring (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
Groups

About the program

Use cameratraps to film wildlife, sort through the videos to identify the species and rename the file accordingly. In addition, help as an eco-volunteer.

Role

We have various cameras which are installed in the forest and are on 24/7, so all this data needs to be sorted. This information is crucial to understand the natural competition animals will face and will help the Animal Release Center to decide where to release the animals.

The mammal ...

About the program

Role

We have various cameras which are installed in the forest and are on 24/7, so all this data needs to be sorted. This information is crucial to understand the natural competition animals will face and will help the Animal Release Center to decide where to release the animals.

The mammal inventory 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.

Life at IPBio 

During the weekend volunteers can visit the National Parks to explore the caves, hike into the dense forest surrounding them or visit the waterfalls. Wildlife watching is a common free-time activity and at the center we have our own greenhouse with frogs and native fish aquarium. At the reserve we have a deck where you can swim as well as use tubes (big circular water balloons) to drift down the river along with the current volunteers. You can also organize dinners, movie nights, or social events.

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 day is starting at 9am and heading into the forest to conduct the tree inventort which requires measuring, photographing and attempting to identify species of trees. At noon you will come back to make some lunch and have an hour break. After lunch we would go and collect the SD card ...

Typical day

A typical day is starting at 9am and heading into the forest to conduct the tree inventort which requires measuring, photographing and attempting to identify species of trees. At noon you will come back to make some lunch and have an hour break. After lunch we would go and collect the SD card from the cameratraps and return to the center. We would all sit down at the center with laptops and divide the footage up between the group. We will sort the footage by group (mammal, birds, extra etc.) and then attempt to identify the species and rename the files accordingly.


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

Nationality Restrictions

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

Other Skills

No formal skills required. Good work ethic and fast learner.

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) 585€
50 weeks (max. stay) 9,741€
Average fees 194€/week

Program fees

194€ 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

Valentin Gascoin rating4.8

2019 at Mammal Monitoring (Eco-Supporter)

I spent 2 weeks in IPBio, it was a great experience, the team is very kind, I did a lot of cool things related to ecology and biology, everything is very well explain and interesting I advise everyone to do an ...
Nick Willis rating4.6

2018 at Mammal Monitoring (Eco-Supporter)

I have stayed at the reserve for three weeks, and I am still captivated by the biodiversity of the Atlantic Forest. IPBio offers volunteers a chance to experience living in a rainforest, without having to sacrifice certain comforts (such as WiFi!). There is a great family dynamic at the reserve, and ...
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 ...
Leya Russell rating4

2024 at Photographers/Movie Producers

I loved my time volunteering with IPBio at the Batery Reserva! The accommodations were good, with shared washrooms/showers, a strong sense of community and evening meals. I had a private room with air conditioning- all of that was great!!. I do believe in the work performed at the Reserva, with ...
jackie Tremblay rating3.6

2023 at Forest Inventory (Eco-Supporter)

J’y ai fait des travaux intéressants comme la cueillette et identification de champignons, l’observation et identification des oiseaux et l’inventaire des poissons. Certains travaux comme le sarclage et l’arrachage de plantes envahissantes étaient très difficiles pour moi. Tous, ...

Location

Americas > South America > Brazil > Iporanga

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