Marine conservation holiday in Mauritius
Are you 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 Marine conservation holiday in Mauritius makes a difference
Environment
As with all conservation projects, your work will depend on what is required at the time your project takes place. We work with a local NGO, by recruiting volunteers to make a vital contribution to their sustainable conservation efforts. As a volunteer you will help raise awareness about the impact of tourism on the marine wildlife, aiming to ensure a sustainable future for all. The main focus of this NGO is to safe guard the marine environment of Mauritius. They pay particular attending to the protection of marine mammals and coral reefs. By volunteering your time you’ll be directly helping the project staff with daily tasks, enabling them to have a greater scope with their efforts.
You will contribute to collecting data on both the wildlife and the tourism industry to identify the cause of the decreasing marine populations. By supporting local conservation efforts you’re influencing local community in many ways, such as, protecting their livelihood (which to many, is tourism) by producing research to enable sustainable growth of the industry whilst protecting the Mauritian marine life. You’ll also be bringing income to the project enabling them to develop conservation efforts and ultimately education through cultural exchange.
Throughout their stay, the volunteers are continuously learning about the animals they track and see and the environment in which they live, and how everything interacts to maintain an ecological balance. They leave armed with an immense knowledge of Mauritian ecology, an appreciation and respect for conservation. Volunteers are given cultural advice before and on your arrival, affording you an understanding of Mauritian culture which will guide your interactions with local people and improve cultural awareness.
You taking part in this project enables us to continue to donate financial assistance as well as necessary goods, where it is needed around the world. Examples of recent donations include: building new classrooms, providing school uniforms for poorer students, buying computers, sports equipment, playgrounds, toys, mattresses, classroom equipment and funding school trips and the building of libraries, and more. We also donate significantly to conservation research efforts and the purchasing of necessary conservation equipment. In the past, these donations have been made in all continents and in projects where we work, and some where we do not work.
Recent donations made include:
- Monthly donations to a variety of schools, orphanage and animal sanctuaries around the world to help with costs.
- Donations to a school in Zambia to sponsor the education of five children per year.
- Donation made to a school in Ghana to build new signs to advertise the school, buy a photocopier, buy reading books and pain some classrooms in need of repair.
- Donation of funds to build a toilet at one of the schools we work with in Cambodia – until now the children have had to go into neighbouring houses or in the bushes!
- Computer and Camera for a Street Kids project in South Africa.
- Ongoing monthly donations made to orphanage in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and every year additional money given at Christmas to buy presents for children.
- Approximately £1,500 towards the building of a desperately needed classroom in a Zulu school in eMakhosini, South Africa.
- Water tanks for various projects in Ghana and Kenya to allow the children safe drinking water.
- Toys and play equipment for children at a project that was severely lacking funds for this in South Africa.
- A donation of books for the Red Cross Hospital in Cape Town.
- A donation of $400 to the elephant project in Thailand.
Community
You taking part in this project enables us to continue to donate financial assistance as well as necessary goods, where it is needed around the world. Examples of donations include building new classrooms, providing school uniforms for poorer students, buying computers, sports equipment, playgrounds, toys, mattresses, classroom equipment and funding school trips and the building of libraries, and more. We also donate significantly to conservation research efforts and the purchasing of necessary conservation equipment. In the past, these donations have been made in all continents and in projects where we work, and some where we do not work.
We are committed to upholding strict ethical standards that ensure a positive and lasting impact upon the environments, communities, institutions, volunteers, animals, children and people that we work with. For example, we encourage our volunteers to make the most of local opportunities available to them, such as shopping at local markets, eating in local restaurants and using local services and transport.
We encourage volunteers to pay fairly for goods and services. We believe that over payment for goods and services or payment to beggars can have negative consequences and result in the over-reliance of tourism within the local community. We strongly advise against purchasing wildlife souvenirs or anything which may perpetuate the death or cruel treatment of animals for the purpose of profit.
By living in the volunteer house provided by the project you will, again, be providing much needed support to the local population, in the form of income and employment. The house is simple and you’ll be actively encouraged to recycle, be efficient with energy and water usage and to preserve the natural surroundings. The house is also used as an office by the NGO. You will purchase your own food, which provides essential support to the local shop owners. You will either be working in the office or will walk to the local beach, where the field boat is located. As the essence of the Mauritian Marine Conservation Society’s work is researching the effects of tourism on the marine life, it goes without saying that they are very environmentally conscious, their boat is energy efficient and that they would never make any unnecessary touristic journeys.
By supporting local conservation efforts you’re influencing local community in many ways, such as, preserving their natural environment and the animals that live there, bringing income to the project enabling them to develop conservation efforts and ultimately education through cultural exchange.
Marine conservation holiday in Mauritius
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