Turtle volunteering holiday in Ghana
| country: | Ghana |
| departures: | 2008: 6 Sep, 4 Oct, 1 Nov, 6 Dec 2009: 3 Jan, 7 Feb, 7 Mar |
| price: | From £1100 (4 weeks) - £3100 (24 weeks) excluding flights. We can offer advice on flights from the UK. Price includes transfer, orientation, accommodation, meals and support |
the amazing things you'll be doing
There are three types of sea turtle nesting on the beaches in Ghana: the Olive Ridley, the Leatherback and the Green Turtle. All of these turtles are endangered species, and it is very important that we protect these fascinating creatures from the dangers they face. The Ghana Wildlife Society is worried that 'given the current rate of killing the turtles, they will soon be extinct'. Volunteers will play an extremely important role in the protection of turtles and in the long term conservation Ghana’s wildlife.
The volunteers' responsibilities are diverse, but will include beach patrols, collecting eggs and releasing hatchlings, research, and educating locals on the importance of protecting their wildlife from extinction.
The conservation area is a five kilometer stretch of palm fringed beach. Female turtles emerge from the sea at night to lay their eggs on the beach, which leaves them in a vulnerable position. Volunteers will patrol the beach to monitor turtle nesting and to prevent the female from being disturbed whilst laying.
The project is located in a coastal fishing and farming community in the most south-westerly part of Ghana. Volunteers stay in simple dormitory huts, the camp is a relaxed beach-side environment where volunteers can unwind after a day of working on the Turtle project and meet new friends. Volunteer placements start on the first Saturday of each month.
Walk into the village to visit one of the primary schools and take part in environmental education. Take a small group of children out of class for a turtle education lesson. For example, show the children pictures of different species of turtle found in Ghana and help them learn to identify the different types. Then get the children to do their own drawing of a turtle.
Return to beach camp for lunch then free time for relaxing and socializing with other volunteers; playing games on the beach, swimming, reading or having a nap. Have dinner then time for resting or journal writing.
Take part in the Turtle Night Patrol shift from 9pm - midnight, joining your Ghanaian Turtle Patrol partner to walk the beach to search for nesting turtles. Take any tourists on a guided night walk informing them about the turtles and turtle research you are doing. Complete the research monitoring forms, recording the number of turtles seen, the size, time etc and marking their location on a map of the beach, before returning to beach camp for a well deserved sleep.
The volunteers' responsibilities are diverse, but will include beach patrols, collecting eggs and releasing hatchlings, research, and educating locals on the importance of protecting their wildlife from extinction.
The conservation area is a five kilometer stretch of palm fringed beach. Female turtles emerge from the sea at night to lay their eggs on the beach, which leaves them in a vulnerable position. Volunteers will patrol the beach to monitor turtle nesting and to prevent the female from being disturbed whilst laying.
The project is located in a coastal fishing and farming community in the most south-westerly part of Ghana. Volunteers stay in simple dormitory huts, the camp is a relaxed beach-side environment where volunteers can unwind after a day of working on the Turtle project and meet new friends. Volunteer placements start on the first Saturday of each month.
a day in the life of a volunteer
Wake up at 4.30am & patrol the beach with Ghanaian Turtle Patrol partner until 6am. Complete the research record sheet during the patrol, recording any turtle nests you see and any tracks that are evidence that a turtle came up to nest that night. Observe and record any hatching baby turtles. Count the number of babies and help any stragglers reach the sea. Return to beach camp for breakfast. Spend time writing up the data you collected from the previous night and that morning’s patrol. Time to discuss observations and data collection with other turtle conservation volunteers. Walk into the village to visit one of the primary schools and take part in environmental education. Take a small group of children out of class for a turtle education lesson. For example, show the children pictures of different species of turtle found in Ghana and help them learn to identify the different types. Then get the children to do their own drawing of a turtle.
Return to beach camp for lunch then free time for relaxing and socializing with other volunteers; playing games on the beach, swimming, reading or having a nap. Have dinner then time for resting or journal writing.
Take part in the Turtle Night Patrol shift from 9pm - midnight, joining your Ghanaian Turtle Patrol partner to walk the beach to search for nesting turtles. Take any tourists on a guided night walk informing them about the turtles and turtle research you are doing. Complete the research monitoring forms, recording the number of turtles seen, the size, time etc and marking their location on a map of the beach, before returning to beach camp for a well deserved sleep.
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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This project aims to protect and monitor nesting turtles. Educating the community about the importance of turtles and the need to protect them also plays a huge role. Fishermen and other members of the local community who come across the turtles are not aware of the importance of protecting them. This unfortunately means that many turtles are killed and the meat is sold or the eggs are poached from their nests.
Conservation of the sea turtles will only ever be effective if the communities are on side. Killing turtles and poaching eggs must stop. Fishermen and villagers must be taught why they should not kill turtles and be given an alternative income or source of food. Part of the volunteers’ role will be to co-ordinate workshops with the local fishermen and visit schools in the area to educate the community on the importance of protecting sea turtles. There is an opportunity to be creative here with projects such as drama or story-telling, designing posters or signboards.  Volunteers will play an extremely important role in the protection of turtles and therefore in the long term conservation of Ghana’s wildlife. Volunteers will also help with eco-tourism projects to generate alternative incomes for this community. You will be based near an eco-lodge where tourists will pay to see the magnificent female turtles nesting and the fascinating passage of the hatchling turtles back to the ocean. You will be the expert on hand at this time. The money tourists pay to see the turtles will go directly into the Turtle Conservation Fund. This money is used for turtle conservation only. For example, money from the fund is used to pay local members of the turtle beach patrol, to buy materials such as paint for sign boards or batteries for night patrol torches. It is important to remember that changing the beliefs and attitudes of fishermen and local people is no simple task. Introducing, for the first time, the idea of conservation requires a major shift in beliefs and behaviours. This is not something that will happen overnight. However, it is something we are hugely motivated to initiate, support and consistently reinforce. |
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