Yomps, Adventure Travel Experiences

Amazon Rainforest Conservation & Community Development
Full Itinerary

Volunteer in the Amazon rainforest on this wildlife conservation expedition based deep in the heart of the Ecuadorian rainforest. For either five or ten weeks, volunteers will live in a remote area to experience the rainforest’s rich biodiversity, support rainforest conservation, work towards community development and become a valued member of our wildlife research team!

Ecuador

Week 1 - Travel into the heart of the Amazon Rainforest, gain an understanding of the field research, be taught how to use the equipment, train in first-aid, learn about the huge biodiversity and become an active member of the research team.

Our Ecuadorian adventure begins 15 miles south of the equator in Quito, the capital city of Ecuador, where you will meet the expedition staff and the rest of your team members. Then the onward journey deep into the heart of the Amazon Rainforest is a further two days, stopping overnight in Tena to allow you to acclimatise, get some last-minute provisions and enjoy a final cold beer!

The expedition is based on 1,800 hectares of reserve made up of primary rainforest, which is owned and protected by the Yachana Foundation. Your new home within this lush reserve is only accessible by motorised canoe, where the camp and researchers are permanently based. The camp is surrounded by beautiful, tropical rainforest that is inhabited by amazing animal and plant life and has an infrastructure that is basic but comfortable. Fresh water is pumped from the nearby stream to supply the water tanks for the kitchen, toilets, showers and laundry area. Water supplies are also sourced from water purifiers made in the local schools, which helps the pupils to fund their own education. Due to the limited water supply, volunteers are restricted to one piped shower a day, but there is nothing to stop you from showering down at the stream… indeed, some volunteers even prefer it! At mealtimes, there is little meat on the menu due to a lack of refrigeration facilities at the base. However, the food is surprisingly good considering the resources available and is always nutritious, no matter how simple it may be.

Volunteers spend a few days learning how to become competent at various wildlife research techniques, as well as getting to grips with how the data collected is processed and used. The skills and knowledge volunteers require will be taught in a variety of ways, which include theory lectures, group study sessions and field practices (e.g. ecology walks). You will then have a foundation and holistic understanding of all aspects of rainforest conservation and wildlife research, on which to build throughout your time. A few examples of the subject matter are as follows: conservation, rainforest ecology, bird and mammal identification, amphibian and reptile studies, an introduction to teaching English as a foreign language and the Emergency First Response qualification. In addition, a few examples of some of the valuable research techniques that we might find ourselves using include bird call identification, Sherman live capture traps, bat netting, mammal and reptile tracking and observation, amphibian and reptile transects, butterfly sweep netting and night playback (playing bird calls and encouraging, for example, owls to come and investigate!).

Towards the end of the week, you will be examined on your newly acquired skills to ensure that the field research the team will be carrying out will meet the standards expected. But do not worry, after the initial week of training, you should be more than equipped to pass with flying colours! You will then be settled into your new home and will enjoy all the benefits of living and being a volunteer in Amazon Rainforest.

Ecuador

Week 2 Onwards - Walk transects through the Amazon Rainforest watching monkeys leaping overhead, hike through rivers, collect valuable data for amphibian and reptile surveys, sleep in hammocks, see amazing insects, admire phenomenal humming birds and perhaps even spot some rare and endangered wildlife species!

Now that volunteers are equipped with the knowledge and skills to be proficient at the different activities, you can spend your remaining time enjoying living in the lush Amazon Rainforest. You will strive forward in your research and experience new places, plants, primates and people; all whilst having a truly positive impact on the stunning tropical surroundings.

The days are full as you will rise at first-light to take advantage of the early wildlife activity. You will then work throughout the day and sometimes participate in night-walks. We hope to incorporate several mini-expeditions involving, for example, hiking through the forest to a satellite camp location. Please be aware that the level of humidity can sometimes reach 90%, so you must be prepared for some challenging and adventurous hikes. These hikes will ultimately lead you to some of the most stunning and spectacular beauty spots on the reserve, making the challenge all the more worth it! For some advice about surviving in the Amazon you will visit Hector, a wise local who will educate you on some of the more adventurous aspects of the Amazon, like which plants you can draw water from in a survival situation and the medicinal properties of some of the Amazon’s natural resources.

All volunteers are assigned to alternating duties on a daily basis, and you are responsible for fulfilling that role and making a contribution towards team life. Duties include camp duties (such as cooking and cleaning) or safety duties (such as doing various checks and maintaining the safety of the base). At the end of each day the group is assembled to debrief, eat and socialise, as the sun sets on the backdrop your new home: the Amazon Rainforest!

Volunteers also spend some time helping on community development projects, by teaching English and new skills to local students. These students travel from as near as five minutes or as far as five hours by canoe to Yachana, where they attend the local school. The skills and knowledge that they learn not only educates them (with the aim to decrease their dependence on the oil and gas industry) but also has much broader impact for the communities that they represent, by providing alternatives in sustainable means of living. As a result, our work will reach out to the broader Amazonian community, whose way of life is increasingly under threat in the Amazon Rainforest. By working alongside foreign visitors the students also benefit by getting the invaluable opportunity to develop their English language skills. Students can then go onto work in the fields of ecotourism, sustainable agriculture and conservation. In exchange, the students, their teachers and members of the local communities offer a wealth of knowledge about their culture, traditions and medicinal plants, as well as provide you with the opportunity to develop a new language – Spanish.

You will also be involved in something known locally as ‘Mingas’; working with locals toward the development of community infrastructure. This can take the form of various projects in different locations, which work towards uplifting the community, for example, working with the locals to cultivate their cornfield to feed to their livestock. Please note: these activities will vary from time to time, depending on the different projects needed during our time there.

When you are not carrying out the wildlife research or working on community development, you will get the chance to recuperate and relax back at camp. Here you can improve your volleyball skills, swim in the nearby river or just chill in hammocks hung from trees. You will also have the opportunity to enjoy a well deserved rest and kick back on Saturday nights, for the party after a hard week of work! Sundays will be your days off. You can choose to either relax in the hammocks around base or cruise down the river by motorised canoe to Agua Santa, where you can check out what is on offer at the local market, have a game of football with the locals or perhaps even get your hands on a chilled drink or two!

Anyone staying for a duration of ten weeks has the opportunity to get off-base and immersed in the rich culture of Ecuador a little further a-field, during the sixth week of your volunteering experience (at your own cost). Volunteers can use this time as they like, making it an ideal time to explore more of this diverse and fascinating country. A good choice is to visit Banos, where the more adventurous of us can go mountain biking or white-water rafting (at own cost).

Depending on whether you are staying for either five or ten weeks, once the initial week of training is completed you will spend the rest of your time researching, working with the community and experiencing all that this Amazon Rainforest conservation and community development expedition has to offer!

Opportunity to achieve a Level 3 BTEC Advanced Certificate

There is also the opportunity to gain a BTEC in Biological Survey Techniques (which is equivalent to an A-Level) whilst on your five or ten week expedition. This Level 3 BTEC Advanced Certificate teaches you to supervise biological surveys, and once completed should enable you to plan and run survey teams in the field. You can perfect the skills you learn with the direct, hands-on experience you learn in the field, and will be transferable to any environment around the world, providing your CV with an invaluable boost. Those opting to complete the BTEC will complete five core units that have been developed with our field team’s extensive experience and skills-base in the field:

• Target Species Identification – to introduce the learner to the fundamentals of identifying species and habitats, and bring them to a level accurate enough to ensure reliable survey results are always collected.
• Survey Techniques – to build on the learners identification skills, putting them into practice out in the field. Students also learn how to supervise surveys through briefings and debriefings and how to collect, collate and verify data.
• Managing Risk – to teach the learner the fundamentals of risk management, emergency planning and health and safety; building on the Emergency First Response training that all volunteers receive.
• Expedition Logistics – to train the learner in the practical and logistical aspect of managing a field-based biological surveying operation.
• Community Relations – to instil an understanding that successful long-term biological conservation is best achieved through the cooperation and support of local agencies and indigenous peoples.

Recognised and approved by Edexel, the UK’s largest awarding body, this qualification can help your entrance into university or give you the boost you need for a career change. Therefore, the qualification is open to all volunteers of all ages. For more information on this opportunity, please mention it when you complete the online booking form to volunteer in the Amazon.

- Research Aims

The main aims of the research that volunteers work towards include:

• The maintenance of a permanent, full-time biological field station at Yachana to conduct scientific research and generate national and international conservation interest
• Identifying and cataloguing local bird, mammal, reptile, amphibian and plant species
• Providing support in the areas of conservation, eco-tourism and sustainable agriculture
• Facilitating the learning of English as a foreign language through TEFL projects, including classroom teaching and informal conversation practice
• Supporting small-scale infrastructure development projects
• Facilitating cultural exchange between volunteers and students
• Establishing relationships with leading scientific and development agencies and universities nationally and internationally.

- Why this work is important?

Some 50% of Ecuador’s tropical rainforests have been lost to destructive industrial practices, including oil and gas drilling, mining, farming and forestry. Environmental degradation, poverty and disease, coupled with the poor quality of public education, all contributes to the dire need for rainforest conservation and community development in the Amazon.

- Expedition Skills Required

No previous experience or foreign language skills are required to join this expedition, but expedition members must be 18 years of age or older and speak English. Additionally, all volunteers must be strong swimmers (able to swim 300m) and be physically fit as the environment is demanding. Spanish is not essential for this expedition but participants will benefit much more from the community interaction if they have some basic phrases. All volunteers must be team players and assist each other and the staff on a daily basis.

- Internship

An internship is open to all those who volunteer for ten weeks, and at the five week stage you will be given the opportunity to apply. An expedition internship allows you to stay on the expedition for a further 10 weeks at no cost to yourself. If you are successful in your application to become an intern, in effect you become an unpaid member of staff who will assist the permanent staff with the day-to-day running of the expedition and train new volunteers.

- Costs

	Pound sterling (£)	US Dollar ($)	Euros (€)
5 weeks	1345	2,690	1,885
10 weeks	2245	4,490	3,145

- Malaria Awareness

Travelling to long-haul destinations can be a wonderful and exciting experience. Before you go, make sure you take the right travel advice about visiting Malaria risk countries. At Yomps we are committed to stopping traveller deaths from malaria which is why we support the campaign being run by Malariahotspots.com. Click here to download our free guide about Malaria Awareness (opens in a new window).