ECOSARA COMMUNITY CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS IN SOUTH AMERICA

ECOSARA community conservation volunteers will be involved in helping to develop community interest and connections in the San Rafael area. Community volunteers should speak both English and Spanish, be computer-literate and have a friendly easy-going manner - you are likely to be working with children at least some of the time. Community volunteers will liase with local community leaders in development and educational projects and participate in already established community projects in the San Rafael area. Of course volunteers are able to switch between projects, just because you signed up as a conservation volunteer doesn´t mean that you can´t also be a research volunteer if the fancy takes you!

We encourage ECOSARA conservation volunteers to come up with their own projects and develop them in conjunction with the permanent staff. When it comes to ideas we are always ready to listen and anything that improves the facilities or helps spread the word is something that not only benefits ECOSARA but directly benefits the conservation of San Rafael. Volunteers will be always be credited for the role that they play in ECOSARA projects. Conservation volunteers who develop their own projects will have an informal meeting each evening with staff members to discuss progress and will be expected to see projects through to completion.

Community volunteers are mainly classroom and office-based, but they will have ample free time to explore the forest and surroundings at their leisure. We think that ALL field observations are important and educational conservation volunteers can also do their bit for research work by being aware of their surroundings and noting down observations of interest. Volunteers with a knack for photography are always welcome, we are always looking to boost the photographic database of the parks fauna and photographs of educational workshops and seminars are useful for publicity purposes. In the interests of making data accessible and open to all we collaborate with online database projects such as the FAUNA Paraguay.com image gallery.

To give you an idea of the sort of work that community conservation volunteers are involved with, here are some of the more popular projects:

Design and production of pamphlets and informative material in different languages.
Translation of existing material.
Liaison with community leaders.
Participation in reforestation projects in the San Rafael area.
Development and practice of sustainable agriculture initiatives.
Organisation, reception and assistance with school groups and visitors.
Participation in project planning meetings.
Promotional work with local communities, raising awareness of the Reserve and its benefits.
Design and delivery of educational presentations.
Charity work.
Posters and displays that explain the role of Pro Cosara and the Reserve in the everyday lives of people and animals in the area.
Working with the Guaraní community.
Improvement of the on-site educational facilities.

You don´t need to have any professional background to be an ECOSARA community conservation volunteer, just enthusiasm, a sense of adventure and willingness to get your hands dirty! Of course any professional skills or experience that you may have will come in useful and we are always willing to talk through ways in which we can make the most of your special abilities or ideas.

Up for it?!