Conservation Research Assistant Program

  Cuba

  Egypt

  Honduras

• Other Cities in Honduras: 
Utila,  San Pedro Sula

  Indonesia

• Rural Areas: 
Rural Areas

  Madagascar

• Other Cities in Madagascar: 
Antananarivo

  Mozambique

  Peru

• All Other Areas in Peru: 
Iquitos

  South Africa

Term: Summer 
Durations of Program: 2-4 weeks, 5-8 weeks and 9-12 weeks
Typical Duration of Program: 5-8 weeks
Dates: Anytime between June-September

Description: You can get involved with Op Wall as a Research Assistant where you can work on and help different academics on a variety of wildlife conservation research projects in the field or you can work with us to collect data for your thesis or dissertation. Either way, we teach and train you in all the skills you will need to work on our projects. You will be able to experience working with a variety of academics specialized in various aspects of conservation research, and therefore, gain field research skills. Not to mention, you will have an amazing experience!

Highlights: - Learn how to live in the jungle in the Jungle Survival Course!
- Join our new biodiversity survey teams in the oases of the White Desert!
- Join our bird and habitat survey teams in Kruger National Park in South Africa!
- Learn how to dive and contribute to dive research in some of the most beautiful reefs in the world!
- Meet people and researchers from around the world and build lasting friendships!

Degree Level: Bachelors Degree (Undergraduate)

Qualifications: Applicants need to be enrolled in a post-secondary institution or have completed their post-secondary education.

High school students may also apply for a group expedition, but require an adult (usually a teacher) to accompany the school group.

Cost in US$: 1,800 USD - 6,100 USD (depending on length of expedition)

The expeditions are nearly all-inclusive but do not include costs of flights and transport to and from the start of each expedition, accommodation before or after expeditions, insurance needed beyond medical and evacuation, costs of additional elective training (eg. canopy access, any dive certification beyond PADI Open Water), dive equipment rental, local taxes and Park entry fees.

Credit Available: yes

Salary / Pay: N/A

Experience Required: no

Typical Volunteer: In the past, we have had volunteers from a diverse range of educational backgrounds and ages. However, the typical volunteer is between 18-25 years of age and has had some education in ecology, biology, botany or other similar fields. As long as you enjoy and love nature and have a willingness and enthusiasm to learn, you will love your expedition with Operation Wallacea!

Age Range: 18-30

This Program is open to American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi, South African and Worldwide Participants. This Program is also open to Couples and Individuals

Participants Travel Independently

Typically Participants Work in Groups of 4-12

Application Process Involves:

• Online Application plus Application Assessment

Operation Wallacea's Mission Statement: Operation Wallacea is a biodiversity and socioeconomic research organization that offers opportunities to students to gain hands-on field research experience in all aspects of wildlife conservation. This internationally accredited series of biological and social science expedition projects designed to underpin the achievement of specific wildlife conservation aims (from identifying areas needing protection, through to implementing and assessing conservation management programmes) have been run since 1995. Many major UK, Canadian and American universities participate in the programme as well as many public and private high schools and academies. Large teams of university academics, who are specialists in various aspects of biodiversity or social and economic studies, are concentrated at the target study sites. Research Assistants and dissertation students joining the surveys have the option of customising their own itinerary from a range of training and science options. The surveys result in a large number of publications in peer-reviewed journals each year, have resulted in 30 vertebrate species new to science being discovered, 4 'extinct' species being re-discovered and USD 2 million levered from funding agencies to set up best practice management examples at the study sites. These large survey teams of academics and volunteers that are funded independently of normal academic sources have enabled large temporal and spatial biodiversity and socio-economic data sets to be produced, and provide information to help with organising effective conservation management programmes. We currently run intensive research programmes in the lowland forest in Sulawesi, Indonesia; cloud forest in Honduras; the Peruvian Amazon; savannah in South Africa; and the mountain deserts of the southern Sinai in Egypt as well as reef based research projects in Indonesia, Honduras, Egypt and Cuba. For 2010, we are excited to introduce Madagascar to our list of research sites!

Year Founded: 1995