Volunteer positions with the Alliance for Research and Conservation in the Amazon (ARCAmazon) are open this summer between May and September 2018 for researching primate behavior in the Las Piedras watershed in the Madre de Dios region of Peru. Opportunities at ARCAmazon are ideal for university students and recent graduates looking for field experience, or professionals searching for unique and meaningful travel experiences. Volunteers will learn a variety of field skills as well as contribute from their own abilities and knowledge to a vital cause. The Alliance for Research and Conservation in the Amazon (ARCAmazon) is a Peruvian non-profit that supports research and conservation initiatives in collaboration with other non-profits in the region and with local communities on the Las Piedras River. Our field site, Las Piedras Amazon Center (LPAC), in a 4,460-hectare rainforest concession, acts as a hub that channels the energy and resources of volunteering and ecotourism to halt illegal logging, hunting and mining, improve our understanding of Amazonian wildlife, and develop sustainable solutions for the needs of local people making a living in the area. The primatology team at the Las Piedras Amazon Center searches the canopies for the activities of the ten monkey species found in our forest. Volunteers will witness unique behaviors from capuchins, squirrel monkeys, night monkeys and more, as well as learn how to best observe, identify and understand them. The research at LPAC has a special focus on the endangered Peruvian black spider monkey (Ateles chamek), which is threatened by hunting and logging in many parts of the Amazon Rainforest. One family of spider monkeys has found a safe home in LPAC and we monitor their behavior to ensure their continued safety and make discoveries that will assist in the conservation of spider monkeys elsewhere in the Amazon. Volunteers at LPAC stay at our remote off-grid camp/ecotourist lodge. Comfortable accommodations and authentic Peruvian meals are provided. Living at LPAC also gives access to beautiful trails, swimming areas and frequent wildlife sightings. Fees for accommodations vary by length and nature of the stay. Please refer to our website for more details on the primatology team and accommodation fees or for information about other programs: http://bit.ly/2GjKjOY For any further inquiries, email [email protected] . To apply to volunteer for the primatology team, please visit our website and fill in an application form.
