GALAPAGOS ISLANDS CONSERVATION, REFORESTATION & COMMUNITY PROJECT 

Work to preserve the native and endemic forests on the beautiful island of San Cristobal. There are numerous elements to the project that you'll be involved in and most of the work is on reforestation, research and community based projects. This is the only project in the Galapagos Islands that combines environmental, community and social initiatives to improve the sustainability of the islands. Plus ... it’s loads of fun!

The Hacienda Centre is a calm and beautiful place, popular with international volunteers and with loads going on, from horse-riding therapy, to wandering giant tortoises, to reforestation work, to coaching football to local kids on a neighbouring farm. And if you want something different to do, you can jump on a bike and head down the mountain into the local town for even more action! This is a very special project…

PLACEMENT OVERVIEW

Location: San Cristobal Island, Galapagos Start dates: Available all year round, you choose your start and finishing dates. Duration: From 2 weeks to 12 weeks, subject to visa requirements Requirements: No qualifications needed, just lots of enthusiasm and energy. You'll need a little Spanish to do this project, but if you have no knowledge of Spanish at all, you can combine your project with a 1-week intensive Spanish Course in Quito prior to your main project. Minimum age 17. Compensation: Unpaid Price: £1,095 for 2 weeks to £2,495 for 12 weeks excluding Spanish Lessons £1,695 for 4 weeks to £2,695 for 12 weeks including 2 weeks of Spanish Lessons Full Price List and other Currencies. Please note that the Ecuador Government is lifting subsidies on fuel in January 2012, thus airline fuel prices will increase. Your flight to Galapagos is included in the price, but there will be a fuel supplement. We’ll let you know how much it is as soon as we know.      What's included: ►Arranging your Programme, ►Full pre-departure support and assistance, ►Payment Protection insurance ►Meeting you at the nearest airport/station ►All accommodation ►Up to 2 nights in Quito (for your Induction) ►Return flights from Quito to the Galapagos ►In-country team support and backup ►24-hr emergency support ►Certificate of Completion. What's not included: Flights, travel insurance, cost of visa, food, return transfer to the airport, Galapagos National Park Fee ($110 at time of writing).

This is a wonderfully varied and interesting project where you get to experience many different types of work. For example... You'll work on a controlled plot to eliminate introduced (non-indigenous) and invasive plant species and to restore native and endemic species. You'll grow the plants first in a greenhouse and then transplant them to their permanent locations. You'll also assist in community projects, such as installing a new water pipeline for the local community. In addition, you can assist in mentoring children from INFA, working with them in hippo-therapy (a form of therapy where the therapist uses the movements of a horse to assist in physical, speech or occupational therapy. No hippos actually involved!). There is also gardening, environmental education and field trips to the Hacienda. Hacienda team-members are always on hand for assistance and guidance. WORK CONTENT Volunteering activities vary from day to day and season to season, but there is always lots of work to be done and huge variation in the types of activities. Typical jobs may include: Field reforestation work – planting endemic species and clearing non-indigenous species Horse riding Visiting areas and monitoring growth of plants Cleaning the farm house and areas of work Helping out at the very small local school Informal opportunities to teach English, Sports, Music, Art, etc. Playing football/volleyball once a week with locals and neighbouring farm kids Taking care of the cat! Milking the cows Collecting coffee beans grown on the farm and making your own coffee (the BEST you will ever taste!) Socialising and entertaining Various other odd jobs that always crop up Enjoying the company of the many giant tortoises, iguanas, lizards, birds and farm animals strolling around! Other work includes participating in the restoration of habitats in the Galapagos Islands, working with the local community; visiting ecologically important sites, teaching visitors about ecological issues; exploring the islands and marvelling at the unique wildlife. If you have a special interest, please do not hesitate to inform us. We will do our best to arrange that your project is focused on your interests! Back to Top

ABOUT THE PROJECT:
The project is run by Giovanni, who, although native to the island, spent many years in the States and married an American lady. With a PhD in Biology, this farmer really knows what he is talking about and he has set up an excellent structure for a volunteer program and great support.

The Biological Station opened in San Cristobal in 2005. The Foundation has worked towards the development of reforestation, habitat re-composition and agro forestry activities during its 5 years on the island. In virtue of this, one of the objectives of this station is to develop methodological practices for natural system reconstruction that will serve as a model for similar projects in other reserves.

Volunteers have begun reforestation with Hacienda San Cristobal staff, replacing exotic, invasive plants with other species. Furthermore, volunteers collaborate with organizations such as the Instituto Nacional del Nino y la Familia (INFA) in Hippo-therapy to promote environmental conservation among young children from the island, as well as motivate community members to plant local, rather than introduced vegetation. Plans include the construction of a native plant corridor from dry forest portion of the low land reserve to the moist forest above. Reforestation with native plants will be emphasized as a plant production center is developed.

The Bio station is located in the highlands of the island on a 50 hectare site where there is still native vegetation. One of the objectives of this new station will be to develop the new technology to reconstruct native habitat in the highlands of San Cristobal, and to serve as a center for similar projects in the highlands of other populated areas in the Galapagos chain. The remaining native highland forests on the populated islands are quite limited due to farming activities in general, and the introduction of useful, but very invasive species from the mainland. Volunteers work to reserve the native and endemic forests of San Cristobal. They collaborate with institutions such as the Instituto Nacional del Nino y la Familia (INFA) to promote environmental conservation among young children from the island as well as motivate community to plant local, rather than introduced vegetation.

PROJECT LIFE DAY-TO-DAY:
You'll live and work on the station itself. Nature takes over when working in a place such as this, so you'll get up early each morning to start work, and usually have a break in the middle of the day to relax and recuperate, before continuing with the work in the afternoon.

The jobs you will be involved in are numerous and most of the work is on reforestation, research and community based projects. You will be involved in restoration of habitats, as well as assisting with the organic agriculture component of the project. Volunteers usually work for five days each week, with weekends off. Days are long and hard and you should be prepared for hot, physical and yet rewarding work. Evenings are quiet and usually spent lounging in hammocks, chatting, listening to music, writing in your journal or reading.

SPANISH LESSONS :
If you have no previous knowledge of Spanish, your project will include 1 week of Intensive Spanish lessons at a fantastic and very well-established Spanish school in Quito. You will arrive into Quito at the start of your project and be met by our Travellers organiser in Quito. If you choose to take Spanish lessons you will fly out to the Galapagos after your intensive Spanish course. Your flights to the Galapagos islands are included in your project cost regardless of if you are taking Spanish classes or not.

All the teachers at the school have taught Spanish for 8 or more years and between them they have developed a great many resources to make the lessons lively and fun. They also periodically organise interesting and enjoyable activities in order to introduce the Ecuadorian and Latin culture to their students - most recently they've been cooking Ecuadorian dishes in classes! It's a great, fun way to learn!

 
Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

Got any questions? Please email us:
info@travellersworldwide.com

YOUR ACCOMMODATION AND TRAVEL

Getting there: You will most likely fly into Quito in Ecuador where you will be met by Travellers staff and have an induction and an overnight stop-off here. Your volunteer work will start on Monday; however, you will fly from Quito to Santa Cruz during the weekend. Your return flight from Quito – Galapagos islands is included in your project price! You will be met at the airport by our project director and taken to the accommodation and settled in before your induction.

You will stay at the project house at the Hacienda. There is no phone or internet at the project house (other than for a phone for emergency use), however you can find numerous internet cafés and international phone booths in the nearby town of El Progreso, along with places to eat, drink, shop and socialise.

Food is not provided at the accommodation. However, you will be able to eat much of the locally grown farm fruit & veg produce and you can buy your other food in the local village to cook at yourself at home.

 There are usually at least 3 or 4 volunteers from all over the world living at the Hacienda at any one time, and often there are many more! The atmosphere is very calm and communal here, although a shared taxi into the local town is cheap and plenty more fun can be had there.

TRAVEL:
To read about Travel arrangements and what happens when you arrive in your new country, please click here.

Support & Backup: To read about the excellent Support & Backup we provide before you leave and during your programme, please click here.
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