Turtle populations all over the world face survival challenges, and human intervention is able to go a long way in protecting these magical creatures, especially in the vital early stages of their lives. By helping to identify, develop and safeguard turtle nesting zones, volunteers aid an important part of the turtle conservation process. Volunteering with turtles is not only a great way to help the animals, it’s also a unique opportunity to get up close to some of the world’s most-loved creatures.
You’ll spend your time split between Turtle Cove base camp on Nosy Komba island, and the mainland village of Ampoagna, where a safe turtle nesting zone has been identified.
This project is open year-round, though your role as a volunteer will vary based on the time of year. Nesting season is from November to April, where you’ll be helping to collect and record species information, nesting and size-related data for estimating population dynamics and nesting distributions. In the off nesting season, from May to October, you’ll be helping to establish areas of turtle activity, identifying population size, re-establishing nesting beaches, conducting seagrass surveys, and taking part in turtle watches and beach clean-ups.
Turtle volunteers also have the opportunity to help with education programs, promoting the protection of Madagascar’s turtles in the community. It’s also possible for you to assist on construction projects and go on forest hikes in and around Ampoagna.
You’ll receive comprehensive training at the Ampoagna Turtle Beach Camp at the start of your project. Training includes species identification, equipment use and data collection protocols. Training also includes information on the project goals and your role in achieving them. After your training, you’ll begin survey work on remote island beaches. You’ll spend your final few days back at Turtle Cove base camp on Nosy Komba completing data entries and debriefing.
During your time at Ampoagna, you’ll be accommodated in a basic beach bungalow with solar powered lighting, flushing toilets and cold water showers. When you’re on Nosy Komba island, you’ll be living at the main volunteer camp with volunteers from other projects.
The Turtle Conservation project has a surcharge of $75 per week for additional transport, materials and supervision required during the project. This amount will be included in the Program Fee quoted to you by IVHQ when you apply.
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