idealist.org

Association ANAI is a small non-profit organisation that was formed in 1978 to pursue what has since become known as sustainable development in Costa Rica's Talamanca region.
The staff include agronomists, foresters, biologists, economists and educators. With the exception of the three founders, the staff and the Board of Directors are all Costa Ricans.

Before the phrase "sustainable development" came into fashion, ANAI was successfully pioneering strategies to help the people in Talamanca become more economically self-reliant, while preserving the area's extraordinary rain forests and other natural wonders. ANAI and the Talamanca Initiative have been proud recipients of the United Nations Equator Prize which recognizes "extraordinary accomplishments in reducing poverty in the tropics through conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity".
This placement needs volunteers because the community members on their own cannot handle the amount of work needed to protect the numbers of sea turtles which nest at Gandoca. As well, because the town is so remote there are few economic opportunities, so having people coming to the community helps to support the economy of the town.
Working with the turtles is a brilliant and unforgettable experience and we really need your help. It is estimated that if the current rate of decline is not stopped the Leatherback Sea Turtle will be extinct within 20 years.

Volunteers should of minimum age 18 or above with minimum edcucation of high school. This place doesnot need any volunteer in the month of Jan-sep-Oct-Nov-Dec.
volunteers can assit by :-
Task 1. The main work of the volunteers involves night patrols and hatchery shifts. There are two nightly patrols, from 8:00 to 12 midnight to 4:00 a.m. where a shift of volunteers led by an experience patrol leader walk a sector of the 11 km beach searching for nesting females.
Once a turtle is encountered on a night patrol the volunteers work directly with the turtle, taking carapace and nest dimension measurements, collecting eggs and tagging the rear flipper of the turtle.

The collected eggs are then relocated on the beach or taken to the hatchery, where the volunteers on shift will build a new nest to specification and transplant the eggs. The number of eggs, nest location and turtle identification information (tag number) is then recorded by the hatchery attendant for further data analysis including hatchling survival rate.

Task 2. Other daytime work at the project in Gandoca may involve beach cleanup.

Task 3. Small projects, including initial construction of the hatcheries.

Task 4. Caring of the hatcheries. The approximate incubation time for leatherback Turtle eggs is 60 days, therefore midway through the season, the duties of the hatchery attendants increases as the hatchlings are encountered they must be counted and released in the evening to an appropriate location along the high tide line and watched until they reach the sea, We should not release the hatchlings directly on the sea.

Volunteers with special skills are preferred for this placement:
Standard First-Aid
Environmental Science
Biology
Veterinary Science
Data Collection
Statistics
Organic Chemistry
Hiking

Yes, Basecamp International welcomes all the interested non local participants to volunteer and make a difference.

Itinerary for the placement:
Min Training 1 week

Min Work 3 weeks

Min Duration 4 week s

Cost for the placement:
Add Week Cost $175.00 / WK

Registration Fee $400.00 CAD

Program Fee $1,595.00 CAD

Total Cost $1,995.00 CAD

Email: info@basecampcenters.com
Website: www.basecampcenters.com

Mailing Address:
298 Bagot Street,
Kingston, Ontario,
Canada, K7K 3B4


Phone: 613.541.7862
Toll Free : 866.646.4693
Fax: 613.541.1604