Fauna Forever (FF) is a non profit organization based out of the jungle city of Puerto Maldonado in the spectacularly species-rich Amazon rainforests of Madre de Dios in south-eastern Peru. The organisation, which traces its origins back to 1997, works to promote biodiversity conservation, the sustainable use of tropical forest resources, and the continued flow of vital ecosystem services from Perus wild nature - for the benefit of all. It leads and supports pure and applied environmental and socio-economic research projects, training workshops, volunteer and intern programs, and forest conservation initiatives with the aim of benefiting State- and private-led protected areas, local families and communities involved in rational use of natural resources, tour guides, scientists, policy-makers, and the public at large by documenting FF's understanding of the changing state of wild nature, the benefits and impacts of human activities, and helping to spread knowledge about the Amazon rainforest ecosystem.
Fauna Forever currently manages a long-term wildlife monitoring project called Fauna Forever Tambopata (FFT), specialising in mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, insects, and trees. We are currently seeking volunteer field assistants and interns who wish to join our Primate Team for 2014. 2014 internships will take place within the remarkably biodiverse, untouched and fairly remote Piedras watershed to the north of Puerto Maldonado. In addition, we offer the opportunity for undergraduate- and masters-level students to undertake their thesis field work in parallel, on topics related to our core aims. For those volunteers who really want to get into tropical wildlife research and conservation, we also offer a number of mini-projects that can be undertaken by one or two people, with full supervision provided by our field research coordinators. Our current focus is on determining the home range, feeding habits and natural history of several primate species here, including S. fusicollis, C. brunneus, C. aureipalatii, S. boliviensis, C. apella, C. albifrons, A. sara, A. chamek, A. nigriceps. Qualifications/Experience: Applicants should have a keen interest in: wildlife, tropical environments, conservation issues in general, and should be able to tolerate sometimes hot, humid, and muddy conditions that are the norm in the Amazon rainforest. Previous overseas travel and field experience would be an asset, as would at least a basic knowledge of Spanish (or a willingness to learn whilst on the project). A high degree of motivation would also fit in well. The mean age of assistants and interns to date is 23, ranging from 17 to 60 The primate team spends a lot of time in the field, health and safety and full GPS training will be provided Salary/funding: FF asks interns to cover their in-country costs, which we have calculated into a daily rate. Please see our website for more details. Support provided for internship/volunteer positions (travel, meals, lodging): Included in the internship fee is all accommodation (lodge/research station/camp), food, drinking water, basic research equipment, training (health and safety, jungle survival, research methods etc.), support from the field and city-based teams, a full-time Primate research team coordinator, and higher supervision by Chris Kirkby, PhD. Application Deadline: Ongoing Contact Information: Chris Kirkby Carretera Tambopata Km 1.5, PO Box 103, Puerto Maldonado, Madre de Dios, Madre de Dios 082 Peru Telephone Number: +51 982357436 or Skype: djdavej Website: http://www.faunaforever.org/internship/primate-research-in-the-amazon-rainforest/ E-mail Address: [email protected]
