of hands-on wildlife management
opportunities, like protecting endangered
sea turtles with Archelon, the Sea Turtle
Protection Society of Greece (p138).
For animal-lovers who want to stay on
dry land, organisations like the African
Conservation Experience and Greenforce
(both this page) offer placements in the
African grasslands. If your taste is for
trees rather than cheetahs, look to the
many ecological programmes – from
Rainforest Concern’s work in the Ama-
zon (p137) to The Centre for Alternative
Technology’s inspiring efforts in the UK
(p134).
International Organisations
greenforce
530 fulham road, london, sw6 5nr, uK
%uK +44 (0) 207 384 3343
%us +1 800 710 6065
http://www.greenforce.org
greenforce runs a series of environmental
projects around the globe, focusing on
wildlife conservation. the work ranges from
tracking elephants in africa to collecting
scientific information in the ecuadorian
rainforest or monitoring species on coral
reefs in borneo. all training is provided,
including scuba diving training for marine
volunteers. open evenings are held once
a month in london and there are pre-
departure training days. teams comprise 16
people.
status: registered charity.
timing & length of placements: most
programmes last from four weeks to six
months, though there are some that last
only a week or two. there are four or five
departures spread throughout the year. apply
six months in advance so that you don’t miss
out on pre-departure training.
destinations: marine expeditions go to
the bahamas, borneo and fiji. terrestrial
expeditions go to africa, ecuador and nepal.
Costs/pay: the costs of programmes vary
greatly, but everything is included except
international flights. for a year-long teaching
programme in ecuador you may earn a small
wage, but most 10-week expeditions cost
about £2300. other two-week excursions cost
approximately £1300.
eligibility: people aged 18 to 70.
groups or Individuals: many placements
will work in small teams, though teaching
projects are more independent.
annual no. of Volunteers: Varies.
annual projects: dozens; of varying length,
cost and intensity.
partner programmes: greenforce partners
with many international organisations,
including the marine Conservation society,
the world wildlife fund, world Conservation
union and the united nations general
assembly.
In-country support: greenforce staff live
and work on location to give support to
volunteers.UK Organisations
african Conservation experience
unit 1, manor farm, Churchend
lane, Charfield, wotton-under-edge,
gloucestershire, gl12 8lj , uK
%+44 (0)845 5200 888
[email protected]
http://www.conservationafrica.net
this programme offers conservation
placements in game and nature reserves
in southern africa. these are ideally suited
to anyone interested in botany, biology,
environmental sciences and veterinary
science – especially those on leave from
school and students considering a career
in conservation and environmentalism.
postgraduates are able to carry out specific
field research.
status: limited company.
timing & length of placements: placements
are available year-round and usually last
from one to three months. You need to apply
three to four months in advance.
destinations: southern africa, botswana and
Zimbabwe.
Costs: the price tag is between £2800 and
£4500, including international flights from
london to johannesburg, transfers, all meals
and accommodation.
eligibility: applicants must be over 17 and
enthusiastic about conservation. there’s no
upper age limit.
groups or Individuals: Couples can be placed
together and families can be accommodated
on a case-by-case basis.
annual no. of Volunteers: approximately 250.
annual projects: 10partner programmes: none.
selection & Interview process: there’s no
interview, but a comprehensive application
form must be filled out.
In-country support: an african Conservation
experience staff member is available 24
hours a day, and coordinators are based
on each project continually. full support is
given in emergencies in terms of first aid and
transport to a doctor or hospital. a member
of staff accompanies volunteers at all times.
they also have a major Incident protocol and
chain-of-communication in place to deal
with emergencies.
azafady
studio 7, 1a beethoven st,
london w10 4lg, uK
%+44 (0)20 8960 6629
fax +44 (0)20 8962 0126
[email protected]
http://www.madagascar.co.uk
‘azafady’ is a malagasy word meaning
‘please’. this registered charity sends
volunteers to help with grass-roots
conservation and sustainable development
programmes in madagascar. founded
in 1994, placements are available on
conservation, development and sustainable
livelihoods projects in southeastern
madagascar. projects focus on local needs,
human or otherwise, and the work is
extremely diverse, ranging from digging
wells and latrine pits, to teaching english,
to conducting field studies on endangered
species.with azafady you can volunteer
from two to 10 weeks on the award-
winning pioneer programme, the azafady
Conservation programme, or short-term
programmes in english teaching or school-
building. Volunteers work closely with locals
and azafady staff and have the opportunity to
learn basic malagasy. programmes can also
be taken as internships.
status: registered charity and malagasy ngo.
timing & length of placements: assignments
last from two to 10 weeks and start in
january, april, july and october. apply giving
at least one month’s notice.
destination: southeast corner of madagascar.
Costs: Volunteers are required to fundraise a
minimum donation between £595 and £2000
depending on the programme. as this is a
direct charitable donation, volunteers are
encouraged to actively fundraise this with thehands-on help of the uK team, while raising
awareness about madagascar. the fee
excludes flights, vaccinations and visa.
eligibility: must be ‘able bodied’ and over 18.
groups or Individuals: Volunteers work within
a team of approximately 15 to 20.
annual no. of Volunteers: approximately 100.
selection & Interview process: all volunteers
must fill in an application form and send it
in to the azafady london office, which may
request answers to further questions or an
interview before the assessment process
is completed.
In-country support: each team is
accompanied by a field coordinator and
supported by an administration coordinator.
they have a team of malagasy guides and
work closely with specialists for support on
specific projects. azafady’s staff are trained
in all types of potential emergency response;
risk assessments are updated quarterly and
teams always have supervision.british trust for Conservation Volunteers
sedum house, mallard way,
doncaster dn4 8db, uK
%+44 (0)1302 388883
fax +44 (0)1302 311531
[email protected]
http://www.btcv.org
btCV is the uK’s largest practical
conservation charity, annually involving
volunteers in projects to care for the
environment. though the majority of the
projects are domestic placements in the
uK, a range of placements – through btCV
Conservation holidays or their partner
ngos – involve international travel. among
the many options are managing wetlands
in japan, building footpaths in Iceland or
even olive picking in Italy. with an ethos
of ‘environments for all’, btCV requires
no specific skills or experience, though
an adequate level of fitness is required.
Volunteers are accepted from around the
world, but should speak enough english to
understand and follow safety instructions.
those with special needs are accommodated
where possible following discussion.
status: registered charity.
timing & length of placements: most holidays
last between one and two weeks and run
year-round. You can book up to the week
before the start date.05: Organised Volunteer Programmes:Conservation & Wildlife Placements