Would you like to live in the middle of the amazon rainforest as part of a fantastic multicultural team while helping to preserve wild macaws? Add to that learning a new set of skills and great field experience at one of the longest-running parrot projects in the Americas?
If this sounds good to you, come and join our team of dedicated volunteers!!
Volunteers should be self-disciplined, responsible, enthusiastic, and patient. You should also be able to tolerate moderate insect levels, and hot weather (85-90F/30-33C). You must also be able to get along well with others in a remote field setting.
Location
We are located in the Tambopata River in the Department of Madre de Dios in the southeastern corner of the country. We currently work in partnership with the national parks service of Peru (SERNANP) and a local conservation NGO (AIDER) and operate from Malinoski Research Station located at the entrance to the Tambopata National Reserve. We travel by boat along the Tambopata river to monitor two of the world’s largest clay licks: Colpa Colorado and Colpa Chuncho as well as the 50 natural and artificial macaw nests and the plant phenology plots we study.
Accommodations
The Malinoski Biological Station is a two-story wooden house. It is located right where the Malinoski river joins the Tambopata River. The station has electricity generated by a gasoline generator and 75 Gb internet. The rooms are for two people and bathrooms and showers are shared. The first floor has a large area for common use of the different teams of researchers who stay there.
Available Positions
Spots available starting on December 2024
Position #1:
Short-term volunteer assistant (4 weeks minimum stay – 6 weeks recommended)
Activities:In this role, you will receive quick training to assist our field team in monitoring macaw nests from the ground, supporting the team that works with ropes. You will also be trained to monitor macaw behavior around nests and help with clay lick observations. Due to the shorter stay, involvement in activities like parrot censuses and tree climbing will be limited. Other responsibilities include campsite setup and cooking.
Qualifications: (1) Previous field experience, (2) Previous experience working with birds, (3) Degree in Biology, Ecology, Forestry, or related careers or in the last semesters, (4) Intermediate/advanced Spanish level.
Additional Requirements: Good physical condition, able to carry a 40 lb (18 kg) pack over moderate terrain for up to 2 km, no fear of heights (Dec-May). Good disposition facing new and challenging situations, able to work in a team under stress. Have both life and accident insurance coverage.
Cost: US $45 per day
Position #2:
Long-term volunteer assistant (8 weeks minimum stay – 10 weeks recommended)
Activities: Join our team and be trained to identify all local parrots by sight and sound. You’ll conduct parrot censuses in the forest and at clay licks, locate foraging parrots, and enter collected data into our system. During the macaw breeding season, you’ll learn to climb trees using rope systems and observe macaw behavior around nests. Additional duties include campsite setup and cooking.
Qualifications: Candidates must have previous field experience and experience working with birds. A degree in Biology, Ecology, Forestry, Wildlife Sciences, or a related field, or be close to graduation, is required.
Additional Requirements: Volunteers should be in good physical condition, able to carry a 40 lb (18 kg) pack over moderate terrain for up to 2 km, and must have no fear of heights, particularly during the macaw breeding season (Dec-Mar). They should be able to work well in a team, handle stressful and challenging situations, and have travel insurance coverage
Cost: US $30 per day
Position #3:
** Harrison’s Bird Foods Sponsored** Long-term volunteer assistant (8 weeks minimum)
Activities: Be part of the “Harrison’s Bird Foods Internship in the Rainforest Program”! You will receive comprehensive training similar to our long-term volunteers, including parrot identification, conducting censuses, monitoring foraging behaviors, tracking tree species macaws use, and entering data. In addition to tree climbing and nest observation, you’ll also assist with macaw chick health checks, including taking biometric measurements. You’ll play a key role in our nest monitoring expeditions throughout the Tambopata River basin. As with all positions, activities include campsite setup and cooking.
Qualifications: This position is available immediately, with a start date of November 28, 2024. Candidates must have previous field experience and experience working with birds, along with a degree or be in the final semesters of studies in Biology, Ecology, Forestry, or a related field. Some level of Spanish proficiency is also necessary.
Additional Requirements: Volunteers must be in good physical condition, able to carry a 40 lb (18 kg) pack over moderate terrain for up to 2 km and have no fear of heights (Dec-May). They should have a positive attitude toward facing new and challenging situations, be able to work well in a team under stress, and have both life and accident insurance coverage.
Cost: NO COST!! – Thanks to the generous sponsorship from Harrison’s Bird Foods (Covers ALL lodging expenses in the field)
Our activities include expeditions to different areas of the Tambopata River to monitor the different macaw nests located within the scope of the Malinoski Biological Station. On some occasions, we camp in the area near the macaw nests for a few days.
Cost
Essentially, volunteering is free. We take care of research permit costs, cover the costs of all staff, work to maintain training material, and also deal with all correspondence and various aspects of project management. However, our budget does not extend to being able to pay for all aspects of volunteer participation. As such you only need to cover food, accommodation, and other services provided by the field station. The costs are very reasonable. The daily fee is according to the position and experience:
- Position #1: 45 USD/day
- Position #2: 30 USD/day
- Position #3: FREE OF LODGING EXPENSES COSTS
*A one-time processing fee of $30 will be added for all volunteers.
This rate covers food and accommodations (bedding is provided). All volunteers will be charged an airport transfer to be picked up ($20) or dropped off ($10) at the airport plus an extra cost to be transported to the port in private transportation ($45). Once a volunteer was accepted, they will be sent an invoice by email from Texas A&M University. Upon receipt, the volunteer needs to pay 20% of the total cost of their stay. This non-refundable payment is required to hold the reservation for the assistant. The remaining 80% of the payment should be made at least two weeks before the assistant arrives at the release site. Arrangements can be made if assistants wish to pay in cash in the country. However, prior permission from the coordinator is needed. Changes to the daily fee may apply according to availability and season. Plese, check our refund policy..
How to apply
To apply please send an email to volunteering@themacawsociety.org
This email should contain the following:
- A letter of interest explaining why you want to work with us
- Your CV or resume
- Email addresses for at least 3 references
- The range of dates when you will be available and how long you can participate. For example, you may say something like “any 20-day period between March and July 2015”.
