ECOSARA RANGER CONSERVATION VOLUNTEERS IN SOUTH AMERICA

ECOSARA ranger conservation volunteers will be involved in the everyday maintenance and management of the forest and visitor facilities. Rangers are essentially on-site park guards and their role involves elements of forestry, agriculture, education and development of the visitors centre and trails so that they fulfil their role in ensuring that every visitor´s time at ECOSARA is a pleasant and informative one. They will work closely with the team of professional forest guards permanently employed by Pro Cosara on projects related to the improvement of facilities on-site. 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.

We think that ALL field observations are important and ranger conservation volunteers will ideally have a keen and observant eye, and be willing to work with research volunteers when it comes to documenting important findings. Volunteers with a knack for photography are always welcome, we are always looking to boost the photographic database of the parks fauna. 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 ranger conservation volunteers are involved with, here are some of the more popular projects:

Monitoring of "footprint traps" to estimate abundance and local mammal populations, including the making of "casts".
Monitoring of "camera traps" to record and document nocturnal wildlife.
Maintenance of trails and creation of new "senderos".
Assistance with building and structural projects.
Mechanical and repair work of machinery and equipment.
Production of educational literature, forest trail "guided walk" signs etc.
Assistance with fire-fighting training and teams.
Educational work with local communities.
Accompany and assist research volunteers in the field.
Greenhouse project, harvesting and growth of forest plants.
Assistance with sustainable agricultural projects.

You don´t need to have any professional background to be an ECOSARA ranger 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?!