Turtle conservation, Australia
| country: | Australia |
| location: | Queensland, Great Barrier Reef |
| departures: | 2009: 9 Jan, 23 Jan |
| price: | From £1395 (13-15 days) excluding flights. We can help arrange flights |
the amazing things you'll be doing
The Great Barrier Reef harbours legendary biodiversity, including 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fishes, and 4,000 species of mollusc. It is also a precious resource for hawksbill turtles, listed as "critically endangered" by the IUCN due to demand for "tortoiseshell," harvesting of eggs, and degradation of nesting and foraging habitats.
You can help turtle researchers Ian Bell and Dr. Kirsten Dobbs explore the population dynamics of one of the largest concentrations of foraging hawksbill turtles on the Great Barrier Reef, and possibly the world. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore marine life at pristine, remote tropical islands in the midst of this hotspot of marine biodiversity.
Bell (Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service) was part of a pilot study on hawksbills foraging among the Howick Group, revealing that these turtles nested as far away as Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Dobbs (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority) conducted her doctoral research on the nesting biology of hawksbills on Milman Island. You will help these researchers combine their efforts for the greatest impact on sustainable management of hawksbill turtles.
Austral summer teams will focus on the nesting population on Milman Island, walking around the entire island each night to document nesting turtles, tagging and measuring each and counting and measuring their eggs. Spring teams will assess hawksbill foraging populations in the Howick Group, following reef transects by boat and then helping staff capture, tag, weigh, and measure turtles.
Your research will be in collaboration with coastal indigenous communities, which have traditionally hunted marine turtles and collected their eggs, to develop a broader view of turtle resources and work toward sustainable hunting quotas.
You can help turtle researchers Ian Bell and Dr. Kirsten Dobbs explore the population dynamics of one of the largest concentrations of foraging hawksbill turtles on the Great Barrier Reef, and possibly the world. This is a fantastic opportunity to explore marine life at pristine, remote tropical islands in the midst of this hotspot of marine biodiversity.
Bell (Queensland Parks and Wildlife Service) was part of a pilot study on hawksbills foraging among the Howick Group, revealing that these turtles nested as far away as Solomon Islands and Vanuatu. Dobbs (Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority) conducted her doctoral research on the nesting biology of hawksbills on Milman Island. You will help these researchers combine their efforts for the greatest impact on sustainable management of hawksbill turtles.
Austral summer teams will focus on the nesting population on Milman Island, walking around the entire island each night to document nesting turtles, tagging and measuring each and counting and measuring their eggs. Spring teams will assess hawksbill foraging populations in the Howick Group, following reef transects by boat and then helping staff capture, tag, weigh, and measure turtles.
Your research will be in collaboration with coastal indigenous communities, which have traditionally hunted marine turtles and collected their eggs, to develop a broader view of turtle resources and work toward sustainable hunting quotas.
field conditions
The Great Barrier Reef is renowned for its breathtaking biodiversity, and this project offers access to very remote reefs rarely visited by most travellers. Teams will camp in tents on or near the beach, with solar showers,and help cook camp fare.volunteer travel - what's it all about?
Are you are looking for an adventurous trip with a purpose, or on a gap year or career break? If you want to make a difference in some of the world’s most important conservation areas - and in community projects - then volunteer trips are for you! Volunteers tend to have a sense of adventure, and come from a range of different backgrounds and from all over the world. Edward Abbey said 'sentiment without action is the ruin of the soul'.
how this holiday makes a difference
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How this organisation makes a difference:
We are a not-for-profit international environmental organisation committed to conserving the diversity and integrity of life on earth to meet the needs of current and future generations. On any one of our 130 projects round the world, you are certainly not a tourist. You will be working as a field assistant helping world renowned scientists on real environmental projects and learning about conservation issues. We give people the knowledge and the motivation to do something positive towards helping the environment, regardless of experience and background. The data that you will help to collect will be used to inform conservation decision makers around the world. Since 1971 our research has led to: - the discovery of 2000 new species - the creation of new national parks, reserves and protected areas - the collection of crucial data leading to better-informed conservation decisions. We are aware that many people travel to their project by air and recognise the impact of this on the environment. In an effort to minimise this, we have teamed up with an organisation that offsets emissions from your flights by funding renewable energy, energy efficient and forest restoration projects around the world. |
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. |