Snow leopard conservation volunteer work, Altai
| country: | Russia, Altai Republic |
| departures: | 2010: 28 Jun, 12 Jul, 26 Jul |
| price: | From £1640 (13 days) excluding flights |
| vouchers: | Gift vouchers can be used with this holiday |
the amazing things you'll be doing
These conservation working holidays will take you to the high mountains of Central Asia to survey snow leopards and their prey animals such as the argali mountain sheep and the Altai ibex, as well as other animals including marmots and birds. You will be working as part of a small international team from a base camp set at 2200 m at the foot of a 3500 m remote mountain range and overlooking a vast area of open steppe.
You will be covering ground in Land Rovers and on foot, looking for tracks, kills, scats and the animals themselves. True expedition-style base camp conditions, testing but satisfying mountain surveying, off road driving, and variable mountain weather, make this our most challenging (and very rewarding) expedition.
Aims:
To estimate snow leopard (Uncia uncia) activity through field signs, by tracking and observation. To assess the status and distribution of their prey species like the argali and the Altai ibex. Where possible, to survey other animals such as marmots, birds and other small mammals.
True expedition-style base camp conditions, testing but satisfying mountain surveying and offroad driving, and variable mountain weather, make this our most challenging, but a very rewarding expedition.
We will be working in high summer from our base camp set at 2200 m at the foot of a 3500 m mountain range and overlooking a vast area of open steppe framed by high mountains.
A fitness level of moderate to high is required, including the ability to walk about 5–15 km per day in mountainous terrain of 2000–2500m altitude and ability to tolerate base camp altitude of approximately 2200m. Your team will consist of up to 12 team members + 1 local scientists + 1 expedition leader + support personnel (translator, cook, driver).
You will be based in a mountain tent camp of dome, mess and kitchen, as well as shower and toilet tents 60km from the nearest human settlement. You don't need to be a scientist or have any special qualifications - everyone can take part and there are no age limits whatsoever.
Activities are usually decided the night before and then confirmed in the morning, depending on the weather. The whole set-up of the expedition is quite flexible so that you can participate according to the weather conditions, your skills and general fitness and how you feel on the day.
Your typical day may consist of: Taking your survey group’s Land Rover into the mountains to survey access points and from there searching in the mountains and valleys for snow leopards, argali, Altai ibex and their field signs, or Getting to a mountain observation point and spending the night there in search of snow leopard activity, using field scopes or video traps where appropriate, or Finding and identifying other animals, mainly small mammals like marmots, by various means by night and day.
Most research groups will return to base for the night where food is prepared by the expedition cook. Please note that every member of the expedition can be rotated through all activities. There will also be rest and admin days as required and on some days you may be asked to help out with some camp and kitchen work.
You will be covering ground in Land Rovers and on foot, looking for tracks, kills, scats and the animals themselves. True expedition-style base camp conditions, testing but satisfying mountain surveying, off road driving, and variable mountain weather, make this our most challenging (and very rewarding) expedition.
Aims:
True expedition-style base camp conditions, testing but satisfying mountain surveying and offroad driving, and variable mountain weather, make this our most challenging, but a very rewarding expedition.
a day in the life of a volunteer
We will be working in high summer from our base camp set at 2200 m at the foot of a 3500 m mountain range and overlooking a vast area of open steppe framed by high mountains. A fitness level of moderate to high is required, including the ability to walk about 5–15 km per day in mountainous terrain of 2000–2500m altitude and ability to tolerate base camp altitude of approximately 2200m. Your team will consist of up to 12 team members + 1 local scientists + 1 expedition leader + support personnel (translator, cook, driver).
You will be based in a mountain tent camp of dome, mess and kitchen, as well as shower and toilet tents 60km from the nearest human settlement. You don't need to be a scientist or have any special qualifications - everyone can take part and there are no age limits whatsoever. Activities are usually decided the night before and then confirmed in the morning, depending on the weather. The whole set-up of the expedition is quite flexible so that you can participate according to the weather conditions, your skills and general fitness and how you feel on the day.
Your typical day may consist of: Most research groups will return to base for the night where food is prepared by the expedition cook. Please note that every member of the expedition can be rotated through all activities. There will also be rest and admin days as required and on some days you may be asked to help out with some camp and kitchen work.
Highly Commended
This tourism business was Highly Commended in our 2007 Virgin Holidays Responsible Tourism Awards - the largest awards of their kind in the world, and organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society.Since 2004, the Awards has recognised individuals, companies and organisations in travel making a big commitment to the culture and economies of local communities and helping to conserve biodiversity.
award winner
This tourism business won an Award in our 2006 First Choice Responsible Tourism Awards - organised by responsibletravel.com in association with The Times, World Travel Market and Geographical Magazine, of the Royal Geographical Society. The central tenet of the Awards, in which winners are nominated by tourists, is that all types of tourism – from niche to mainstream – can and should be operated in a way that respects and benefits destinations and local people.
how this holiday makes a difference
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The expeditions make research and conservation projects a reality in countries where funding for such projects is hard to obtain. Professor Yuri Malkov knows more than anyone else about the animals roaming these impressive hills. With a library of publications to his credit, he is now fighting for the establishment of a reserve in the area in an effort to protect this unique and remote habitat in the middle of nowhere. "But lack of money and people are always a problem", he says. "No one really knows how many and what kind of animals live in these mountains.
We know there are lots, but we need hard data to support our arguments for the creation of a reserve. We struggle to find the funding for such expeditions and people to help us with this labour-intensive work of finding animals and documenting their presence". "I am thoroughly looking forward to this expedition. To meeting all these people who are prepared to put in time and money to a cause that is so important for us.", says Professor Malkov. First of all, please note that this operator has won multiple awards that show its committment to conservation and the environment. Two of the most prominent awards are "Best Volunteering Organisation" at the 2006 Responsible Tourism Awards and higly commended for "Best for Conservation of Endangered Species" at the 2007 awards. The operator is committed to running real wildlife conservation research expeditions to all corners of the Earth and says "Our projects are not tours, photographic safaris or excursions but genuine research expeditions, promoting sustainable conservation and preservation of the planet's wildlife by forging alliances between scientists and the public. Our goal is to make, through our expedition work, an active contribution towards a sustainable biosphere. We believe in empowering ordinary people by placing them at the centre of scientific study and by actively involving them out in the field, where there is conservation work to be done. We always work in close conjunction with local people and scientists and try our best to ensure that the fruits of our expedition work benefit our local helpers, their society and the environment they live in. Adventure, remote locations, different cultures and people are part and parcel of our expeditions, but also the knowledge that you will have played an active role in conserving part of our planet's biosphere. We exist for those who, through their hands-on work, want to make a difference to the survival of the particular species or habitat under investigation, and to the world at large. We invite everyone to come and join us out in the field, at the forefront of conservation, to work, learn, experience and take responsible guardianship of our biosphere. To achieve this we will wherever possible: |
Tourism can be good and bad for destinations & local people. We carefully screen every holiday against our criteria for responsible travel. 'Look behind the brochure' to find how each holiday makes a difference (see left). We don't claim to be perfect - there is no global accreditation - but we've led the way since 2001 and screened 1000's of holidays. We invite every traveller to write a review about their experiences and responsible tourism. This valuable feedback is sent to the people who run the holidays. We keep a very close eye on it and take off holidays that don't live up to our standards. |