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BIosPHere exPedItIons
longwood, Fl, toll-free U.S. tel. 800/407-5761, www.biosphere-expeditions.org tYPe oF worK: environment, wildlife protection loCatIons: Honduras, Peru
Biosphere Expeditions organizes expeditions with authentic biological conservation content with the hope of making a “small but significant to our biosphere and at the same time bring enjoyment and fulfillment to our environment volunteer teams.”
international
In Honduras, Biosphere Expeditions works with the Honduras Coral Reef Fund in Cayos Cochinos, a small archipelago off Honduras’s northern coast, to offer diving trips where volunteers record the types of fish, invertebrates, and substrates. Volunteers have some free time between dives, and lectures are organized for the evenings. There are limited slots, and volunteers should sign up well in advance, although a wait list is maintained if the trip is full. Participants must have a PADI Open Water diving certificate (or equivalent) and should bring their own gear and wet suit. Equipment such as BCD, regulator, and weight belts can be rented at the research station dive center, and a few shorty wet suits are available for hire.
In Peru, volunteers head to the Amazon jungle outside of Iquitos, where they will work together with local biologists on a wildlife survey concentrating on cats, primates, and other important species, to aid community conservation efforts and the development of sustainable management strategies. Volunteers travel by foot and canoe on natural waterways through the jungle, recording species, setting camera traps, creating databases, and more, as part of the wildlife volunteer conservation project. Biosphere Expeditions offers trips to various destinations around the world and has won awards and accolades for its trips, including “Best Volunteering Organisation” by the U.K.-based First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards. Application Process: Application is online; passport number and a £300 (US$460) deposit is required. All ages are welcome. Cost: approximately US$2,030 for Honduras; US$1,780 for Peru. Placement Length: Two one-week trips per year, in consecutive weeks in May for Honduras, August for Peru. Language Requirements: Spanish is not required, as the expedition and research are conducted in English. Housing: Accommodations are in shared wooden cabins in Honduras, and a jungle lodge in Peru, and include all meals and research/park fees. Operating Since: 1999 Number of Volunteers: about 500 around the world each year
MOON VOLUNTEER VACATIONS IN LATIN AMERICA Avalon Travel a member of the Perseus Books Group 1700 Fourth Street Berkeley, CA 94710, USA www.moon.com Editor: Sabrina Young Copy Editor: Justine Rathbun Production and Graphics Coordinator: Lucie Ericksen Cover Designer: Lucie Ericksen Map Editor: Mike Morgenfeld Cartographer: Paige Enoch, Mike Morgenfeld ISBN-13: 978-1-61238-641-6 ISSN: 2327-3844 Printing History 1st Edition — November 2013 54321 Text © 2013 by Amy E. Robertson. Maps © 2013 by Avalon Travel. All rights reserved. Some photos and illustrations are used by permission and are the property of the original copyright owners. Front cover photo: underwater data collection © Biosphere Expeditions Title page: photo courtesy of the ARA Project Other color photos: page 4: © Robert Lerich/ 123RF; page 5: © Elultimodeseo/Dreamstime. com; page 6: inset © Luis Louro/123RF, bottom © Brian Lasenby/Dreamstime.com; page 7: top
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