Nature conservation on island Helgoland

Name: Nature conservation on island Helgoland
Start: 2022-08-27
End: 2022-09-10
Location: Heligoland, Germany

Code: 625c63a3b4df49109397432d9c7c668c Copied

Germany Environment Manual work Study Environment Manual work +1 Fixed dates

About the project

📝 Detailed information

🏢 About the local organisation

The ijgd has been organising volunteer service programmes since 1949. We are an independent, non-profit association for international youth work, a recognised independent youth welfare organisation, and one of the largest and oldest workcamp organisations in Germany. Each year, we assist around 5,000 young people into volunteer work in Germany and abroad. We give them the opportunity to be creative, act in solidarity, take responsibility for themselves, and discover their own true potential and strengths. Our principles: Ecological learning, voluntary contribution, self-organisation, social development, intercultural learning, gender equality, anti-racism/anti-discrimination and political education.

For 114 years, the Jordsand Association (Verein Jordsand) has been committed to the protection of seabirds and coastal birds as well as to nature conservation on the North Sea and Baltic Sea coasts and in the greater Hamburg area. It is responsible for many nature reserves in Schleswig-Holstein and also the nature reserves on Helgoland.

💼 What the programme involves

Helgoland is located 65km from the mainland and is one of the most extraordinary places in Germany. Nowhere else nature, culture and history can be experienced in such a small space. Helgoland consists of two islands - the main island, where all the main facilities such as the harbor, supermarkets, etc. are located, and the dune, which was separated from the main island by a high tide in 1721. On the dune there is a small airport, a camping site, a small bungalow village, a swimming beach and a beach area where seals and grey seals stay and wading birds and seagulls breed.
You will do the conservation work mostly on the dune. An area will be cleared of invasive plant species, especially potato rose, which overgrows and displaces natural vegetation.
This work will take place by mechanical means, possibly assisted by a tractor. As far as possible, the plants must be removed from the soil by their roots. To a lesser extent, further conservation work will take place on the main island in cooperation with the Jordsand Nature Conservation Society. (Note: The actual work to be done may differ from that described here).

During the work you will be supervised by two experienced staff members of the State Office for Agriculture, Environment and Rural Areas (Landesamtes für Landwirtschaft, Umwelt und ländliche Räume), who have already accompanied many ijgd-workcamps. But you will not only work practically, you will also learn a lot about nature and history of the island. There will be guided tours by the nature conservation association Jordsand and the municipality of Helgoland, where you will visit the breeding bird colonies as well as the grey seals and seals.
There will also be lectures by experts on Helgoland's eventful history (extreme bombing during and after World War II) and its importance today as a peace island.

🏠 Accommodation on site

You will stay at the youth hostel Helgoland in rooms with 3/4 beds and receive full board.

🍲 Food

Vegetarian or vegan meals are possible. Please indicate any intolerances when registering.

📍 About the location

You work and live on Helgoland and thus in the middle of the vacation paradise, which is visited by thousands of people every year.

🎒 Leisure activities

In your free time you can explore the main island and the dune by hiking. But you can also play mini golf, jump on the trampoline, go to the cinema, swim in the North Sea every day and watching beautiful sunsets on one of the sandy beaches every evening.

⚠️ Requirements

Covid Rules (may change depending on the course of the pandemic): 2G+: Only vaccinated and recovered persons can register for the work camp. All participants must arrive with an official negative rapid test (not older than 24 hours) or PCR test (not older than 48 hours).
On arrival, this and a vaccination or recovery certificate must be presented and a self-rapid test must be carried out. Thereafter, the entire group must perform a rapid self-test at least every 72 hours. We will provide self-rapid tests for the arrival and the whole camp period! Subject to changes! You will receive more detailed information after confirming your registration and at least 3 weeks before the start of the camp.

You should have a good level of fitness as some of the work could be physically demanding. You should be able to swim. You should be sure to bring work clothes and (water)sturdy shoes (ideally rubber boots); crossing to Helgoland will be by catamaran from Hamburg (tickets will be paid, more information after registration).