Island Conservation Programme - Sal Island, Cabo Verde

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Cape Verde Youth activities Environment Youth activities Environment +1 Permanent

About the project

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

Project Biodiversity is a Cabo Verdean organisation committed to conserving and restoring the island’s unique ecosystems.
Based on the island of Sal, the project implements a variety of environmental programmes that achieve ambitious conservation goals and support sustainable economic growth for the community.
Our Vision: A world in which humans and nature can thrive together; where communities practice sustainable use and management of natural resources, and are committed to protecting them - ultimately giving back in return.
Our mission: to implement conservation programs that promote a sustainable growth model, protecting Cape Verde's natural ecosystems and paving the way for a more vibrant community - one that is both environmentally conscious and economically strong.

💼 What the programme involves

While volunteering in the Island Conservation Programme, you will conduct different field activities, working with various plant and bird species, many of which are endemic to Cabo Verde. As a volunteer, you will also work directly in monitoring lemon sharks and, potentially, other marine wildlife. Under the supervision of a coordinator or field technician, you will take part in a range of tasks which are vital to the recovery of Sal’s ecosystems, including but not limited to:
• Regular census of both fauna and flora;
• Replanting of endemic and native species during habitat restoration activities;
• Delimitation and signalisation of paths and sensitive areas within natural reserves;
• Sign maintenance within nature reserves;
• Monitoring and following the colonies of seabirds and osprey, including ringing of seabirds and osprey chicks;
• Deployment of GPS, geolocators, and camera traps in different bird and seabird colonies;
• Help in the collection of samples (blood, fat, diet) from different bird species;
• Help in the collection of samples and biometric data from sharks;
• Help in the collection of images (video and photo) of marine megafauna on boat surveys;
• Inform local and international visitors about biodiversity and how they can help to protect it.

🏠 Accommodation on site

Volunteers are based in a shared apartment in Santa Maria with other volunteers and project staff. You will be sharing a bedroom with more volunteers.

🍲 Food

Meals are not provided. Food is not cheap here, but you will be able to save some money by doing communal cooking.

📍 About the location

The islands of Cabo Verde, in the west coast of Africa, are home to a rich biodiversity, both terrestrial and marine. Their beaches welcome the largest population of the loggerhead turtle (Caretta caretta) in the world, and their cliffs and islets are breeding ground for up to 9 species of seabirds, 5 of them endemic. When it comes to its flora, Cabo Verde has many endemic species of trees and shrubs.

🎒 Leisure activities

Volunteers work five days each week and will have 2 days off per week. During their time here, volunteers have plenty of time to explore the island and experience the Cape Verdean culture. You can go diving on different sites, such as shipwrecks and caves, you can get a diving certificate and take kitesurf, windsurf and surfing lessons. You can also experiment local dishes such as catchupa, and take dance lessons to learn how to dance funana and kizomba. The project has agreements with different businesses that do a very good discount for our volunteers.

⚠️ Requirements

Requirements:
• Desire to make a difference in conservation;
• At least 18 years old;
• Must understand spoken English and/or Portuguese;
• Very good level of physical fitness;
• High level of energy and flexibility;
• Able to cope with physically challenging conditions (long walks, early mornings, hot weather, insects);
• Must be very comfortable around steep cliffs and mountains;
• Must be comfortable handling blood and diet samples as part of the fieldwork;
• Ability to work and live with people of different backgrounds and nationalities

Desired:
1. Good swimming skills (preferably in the ocean);
2. User knowledge of working with databases in Excel.

ℹ️ Additional information

Volunteer contributions cover accommodation and utilities such as water and electricity. Volunteer contributions also provide critical funds needed to support basic but essential needs of the project, allowing us to monitor all the colonies with higher regularity, and ultimately, protect more seabirds.
One week: 275 €
Two weeks: 340 €
Three weeks: 400 €
50 € for each additional week
We strongly recommend a stay of at least 3 weeks, but the minimum stay is of 1 week.
At your arrival you will be required to pay a €100 refundable security deposit against loss or damage of project equipment, and you should bring sufficient funds for any other activities that you would like to do. Once a volunteering period has been agreed, you will be asked to pay via bank transfer 100€ of your fees in advance. This payment will ensure that your place is booked as we have limited spaces and the demand is big. The payment will not be refunded if you cancel your volunteering – unless the cancellation is due to travel bans and/or flight restrictions, as a result of the pandemic (see the Updates on COVID-19 document for more information on the conditions of the programmes). The remaining amount of the fees should be paid at least upon your arrival in Santa Maria. If once you arrive at the project you decide to leave before the agreed date, your total contribution will not be refunded (this does not apply for the refundable security deposit, which will be refunded).
Some airlines only fly to Sal Island on specific days of the week, depending where they fly from. Please, confirm the best routes to Sal Island with our team before purchasing your flights, we will be happy to assist you. Volunteers are welcomed from the 25th of January until the 15th of December. Volunteers can apply at any point throughout the year.

Interested in this project? Create your account and apply online.