To celebrate Earth Day we highlighted a few conservation projects offered by IVPA member organizations.
Projects Abroad – Projects Abroad offers a range of conservation projects with a variety of accompanying time commitments.
Project: Veterinary Medicine & Animal Care in China
Location: China: Chengdu, Ya’an
Volunteers on the Veterinary Medicine & Animal Care project are based at the Bifengxia Panda Base, a center primarily for captive breeding. Daily tasks include preparing food for the pandas, cleaning out enclosures, and keeping data on panda behavior. This project is open to anyone interested in animal care and wildlife conservation. No specific work experience with animals is required.
For more information: http://www.projects-abroad.org
Globe Aware
Project: Sustaining Thailand’s Treasures
Location: Thailand: Ayutthaya, Bangkok
Take a volunteer vacation and see and participate in how Thais really live and help to preserve Thailand’s native elephant habitat. You will find yourself in one the most unique environments, working to build an ecologically sustainable reforested habitat to give elephants a home. With a volunteer vacation, you can be a part of the solution and help change the fate of elephants in Thailand by creating ways for the people of Surin Province to promote sustainable elephant eco-tourism, preserve their natural habitat and provide an alternative to the current use of elephants as revenue in circuses and street begging operations.
For more information: http://www.globeaware.org
Amigos de las Americas
Project: Collaborate for Environmental Sustainability
Location: Perez Zeledón, Costa Rica
This summer volunteers in Costa Rica will play an integral role in collaborating with local youth to promote environmental awareness and stewardship in local host communities and national parks. Beyond traditional AMIGOS activities, this unique project also includes two 6-day “campamentos” (camps) in national parks where Tico and AMIGOS volunteers work alongside one another in trail maintenance, cultural exchange, and team-building activities.
More information: http://www.amigoslink.org
This is just a small insight into ways volunteers can get involved in conservation projects around the world. Volunteering abroad projects often incorporate conservation aspects even if it isn’t the main focus. To take a look at all of IVPA members and their programs, please reference IVPA’s Member List
In spite of the wonderful work of thousands of volunteers and hundreds of green organizations, the degradation of the natural environment continues to accelerate, Because time is running out we now have a new group which aims to act swiftly to grow it’s silent lobby effort at http://savetheworldfree.ning.com. Comments and suggestions about the groups design and direction are welcome.