- Wildlife and Ecotourism Research in the Peruvian Amazon -
Currently looking for volunteer research assistants to join our Bird, Mammal and Herpetofauna field teams. We are a long-term Neotropical wildlife and ecotourism monitoring project working in the Amazon rainforests of the Tambopata region of south-eastern Peru. We are currently welcoming applications for volunteer assistants who have an interest in wildlife, ecotourism, and biodiversity conservation who wish to learn more about living and working in a beautiful but challenging environment, whilst contributing to the protection of one of the most species rich corners of our planet. Applicants who meet our criteria will join an exclusive team of dedicated Peruvian and international scientists working at the frontline of Neotropical wildlife research on a dynamic project that works closely with protected area managers, non-governmental organisations, ecotourism lodges, and local people. The FFT project has been running since 1997, and has already successfully completed two full-rounds of wildlife and ecotourism monitoring in and around the Tambopata National Reserve, an important protected area. To date we have hosted approximately 100 volunteer research assistants. In July 2009, we will be starting our third-round of monitoring, which will continue until December 2010, with the objective of involving a further 100 assistants who will receive training in a number of Neotropical wildlife monitoring techniques as well as guidance and mentoring from our dedicated team of bird, mammal and herpetofauna experts. This is an unparalleled opportunity to obtain field experience for those seeking a career in biology, conservation and international development or indeed for anyone with a deep passion of tropical nature. The project requires that successful applicants to our limited number of volunteer assistant places pay a contribution fee that starts from US$2,300 for a 40-day period (phase), inclusive of all expenses upon your arrival in Tambopata for food, accommodation and transport costs. Accommodation in the city of Puerto Maldonado will be in local hostels and in the forest will be in ecotourist lodges and research stations. Additional expenses would include return flights to Puerto Maldonado, travel insurance, plus spending money to purchase those souvenirs that will forever remind you of your visit! On arrival, a week-long training course is held at one of the lodges to help orientate new arrivals to their exotic, tropical surroundings and to instruct them in the theoretical and practical aspects of the biological and ecotourism research methodologies and protocols that we use to investigate the local wildlife and the human impacts on particular species. You may apply to work on any of the three main research teams: birds, mammals and herpetofauna. We also allow some assistants the opportunity to collect data for their own undergrad or postgrad thesis project needs. The type of research will vary on each team, and the work schedule can be tough! The Bird Team are the first to awake in the morning, preparing to head out at 5 am (dawn) into the forests to identify and count the first birds of the day. The team uses mist-nets to catch, identify and measure the community of bird species that live in the lower levels of the rainforest canopy, providing great opportunities for macro-photography of avifauna, and also undertake point counts by recording the distribution and diversity of species around designated points in the forest. All Bird Team members will be adept at handling, identifying, counting, and knowing the ecology of many bird species by the end of their stay with us. The Mammal Team are the other early risers, starting at 6 am the task of surveying line transects that traverse the forest, identifying and counting the medium- and large-sized mammal species (both arboreal and terrestrial) that they come across whilst walking slowly and deftly through their habitats. This involves learning to identify species by their call as well as their visual characteristics. Night walks are also undertaken to gather data on the more reclusive species such as ocelots and night monkeys. Remote camera traps, which photograph mammals as they pass in front of the camera, as well as sandy or muddy track traps are also used to record the presence of shy and reclusive species that might not be observed directly otherwise. The Herp Team get a bit of a lie-in on most days. Their working day starts around 8 am recording all species of frogs, snakes and lizards encountered along 100m-long transects and in specially prepared quadrats and pitfall traps. Most individuals are caught, identified and released at the point of capture. Others are taken back to base for more detailed measurements and photos to be taken, before being released once again close at the point of capture. After a break and rest in the afternoon the team head out once again after dark to survey the nocturnal community of herps that are largely hidden during the day. The data collected is thoroughly analysed and written up into reports that discuss how the wildlife communities in Tambopata are changing over time and whether the activities of humans, including ecotourists, are at all responsible for the changes observed. Where unwanted human impacts are identified, the FFT team provide recommendations to the Reserve managers, lodge owners and other stakeholders on how to lessen any disturbance, in an attempt to identify ways that humans and wildlife can live comfortably side-by-side. We aim to train all our volunteer assistants in the application of a wide range of field research skills appropriate for forests that will prove useful to them in their future careers (most assistants go on to work as biologists) and will help them understand how wildlife research in places like the Amazon is undertaken. Our expert Team Coordinators are always on hand to ensure full mentoring of assistants and to make sure they learn as much as possible during their time with us. We teach assistants how to (i) identify species, (ii) handle species, (iii) measure individuals, (iv) use standardised field data collection sheets, (v) manipulate field data within a database, and (vi) statistically analyse data with the aim of understanding the diversity, abundance, density and community structure of the taxonomic groups of interest. Our research sites in and around the Tambopata National Reserve include the Explorer''s Inn, Reserva Amazonica, Sachavacayoc Centre and the Tambopata Research Centre. Each offers a unique jungle experience, with different habitat types found at each. Living conditions are quite basic and sometimes cramped, with cold showers to come back to after a hot days work in the jungle and any internet access at lodges is extremely limited, so be prepared for a lack of contact with home. But for anyone wanting a true ''rainforest research experience'', and the chance to learn the best data collection and data handling techniques for wildlife monitoring within a group of enthusiastic, fun and like-minded people, we may be able to offer you the chance of a lifetime! Please see our website - www.faunaforevertambopata.org Join our facebook group - www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=3408512757&ref=mf And check out our blog - http://.my.opera.com/faunaforever/blog/ Twitter - www.twitter.com/faunaforever And latest newsletter - http://www.faunaforevertambopata.org/Issue4.pdf for more info.
