Wildlife conservation expedition to the Amazon

Have you ever wanted the chance to work in a truly unique environment? We can offer you the opportunity to live and work in the Yachana reserve in Ecuador, a private land reserve owned by the Foundation for Integrated Education and Development FUNEDESIN. Located on the might Napo River, the largest major tributary of the Amazon River, you can take part in biodiversity research programmes, studying rare and endangered species as well as working alongside local communities and aiding them in environmental education and basic English lessons.

The reserve encompasses over 1500 hectares of primary rainforest and you will spend your time divided between developing a comprehensive species list of amphibians and reptiles, birds and mammals of this biologically 'super' rich habitat and assisting the local community and our local project partners in developing a long-term sustainable eco-tourism project and to initiate environmental education programmes.

We collaborate with FUNEDESIN to operate a year-round field science and biodiversity research station. The Ecuadorian rainforest is being cut down at an alarming rate and so by working in conjunction with local community projects and research findings will help to effectively manage and conserve this endangered habitat. A typical day starts before dawn. After a quick breakfast, you will be split into teams and set off into the jungle. The forest is still dark and you will walk in silence using your head torches to find your way. The birds start singing as you walk towards different areas of our research site. The sounds of the forest waking up are unforgettable and at times you may hear sounds of Howler monkeys bringing the new day in with their haunting calls. The Point Count team stop at their first destination to record the dawn chorus before moving on to another station where they carry on recording. Meanwhile, the amphibian and camera trap team have walked to a different point recording all amphibians seen as well as checking the camera for any new captions.

A trail clearing team will be in another part of the research site, starting work to expand the transect system by creating new trails and tagging them to aid navigation. Returning back to the camp for lunch, some groups will remain behind to analyse all of the data collected earlier that morning whilst others will head back out into the jungle to conduct vegetation mapping or start preparing English classes for their weekly teaching groups.

The end of the day is culminated with a refreshing wash in the river to clean off the days grime and to cool down. This rounds off the day in a relaxing manner and is a great opportunity to chat about the days events. After dinner you will pack your bags and prepare yourselves for the next day, another day of adventure in the jungle! Throughout any given phase, our science and teaching routine is interrupted at times for short excursions to places of interest and adventure experiences. These may include survival and bush craft weekends, camping out in the jungle at satellite camps and trips to ‘monkey island’.