Earthwatch

Earthwatch provides volunteer placements in wildlife conservation and enviromental research.

The placements and expeditions

For environmentally conscious travellers, an Earthwatch expedition offers you the rare opportunity to spend time learning from the experts in some of the most beautiful parts of the world, while directly contributing to conservation. Some expeditions, such as Madagascar’s Lemurs and Icelandic Glaciers are physically demanding, while others such as Elephants of Tsavo and Dolphins of Greece are mentally stimulating - offering you the opportunity to observe animal behaviour at close quarters. There are opportunities for everyone, including teenagers, families and the over-60s.

For example, you might choose to help survey harbour porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, and minke whales in the Moray Firth, Scotland. You would be playing a leading role in their conservation by taking photographs for individual identification and recording their behaviour. Not only do you learn about the area’s abundant marine life but you are also trained to rescue a stranded whale or dolphin, should the need arise.

Further a field in Nova Scotia, Canada, you can help scientists to determine the impact of climate change on an array of different species, from white-tailed deer to bobcats and raccoons to porcupines. The precarious position of this vast wilderness on the edge of the Gulf Stream leaves its inhabitants vulnerable to rapid changes in climate so more information is needed about how to protect these species in the future.

Countries

Earthwatch projects and expeditions are run worldwide.

How long?

1 to 3 weeks

Price

£500 - £,2000. This includes all food and accommodation, training and orientation, equipment, dedicated customer service, carbon offsetting and more.

About Earthwatch Institute

Earthwatch are an international environmental charity. They have supported field research for over 35 years in order to help find solutions to some of the planet’s most pressing environmental problems. They provide scientists with both funds and volunteers, sending nearly 4,000 volunteers into the field every year. All organisational carbon emissions including volunteer travel are offset through Climate Care.