Rainforest conservation volunteering in Ecuador
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 this holiday makes a difference
Environment
Our Latin America projects were introduced in 2004 and only recently have we developed our Eco-Tourism project in Ecuador; our first group departed for Ecuador in 2011. With the help of Rainforest Concern we are able to offer an exciting conservation project as well as a period of independent group travel. We employ a local representative to support our projects.
Santa Lucia lodge and reserve are 100% owned and managed by members of the local community and all volunteers will be offered a warm Ecuadorian welcome. Responsible Ecotourism links Santa Lucía Cooperative's joint aims of protecting the cloud forest reserve and providing a sustainable income for its members. By visiting Santa Lucía, volunteers are making a direct contribution to conservation and to the local community.
Santa Lucía conserves over 1800 acres of montane cloudforest in the Chocó Andean Bioregion, a biodiversity 'hotspot.' 80% of the reserve is primary forest and there are over 394 species of birds; 45 species of mammals including pumas and the endangered Spectacled Bear; and thousands of tropical plants, native to the region, including an amazing variety of orchids, bromeliads, and other epiphytes.
In 1976, following a land reform act, a group of local landless campesino (countryside) families bought the land which is now Santa Lucía Reserve. They formed an agricultural cooperative and began clearing areas of the forest to farm. Living and working in the forest was hard as the land is steep and far from markets, but for the first time these families had access to land and were able to make a living.
However, land in the cloud forest quickly degrades once it has been cleared and in time, the environmental problems of farming in the forest became apparent. In addition, in 1988, the area was declared part of the Bosque Protector (Protected Forest) making hunting and clear-felling illegal, thus threatening the families' livelihoods. Members of the cooperative began to look for alternative ways of making a living from their land and in the late 1990s, identified ecotourism which would allow them to protect rather than clear the forest. In 1999 they began to build the eco-lodge with fallen wood from the forest; trails in the reserve were made and with much appreciated help from volunteers and other organisations such as Rainforest Concern UK, the ecotourism project was born.
Santa Lucía has hosted teams of Earthwatch scientists and volunteers during 2008, 2009 and 2010. The Earthwatch teams are trialling research methods in remote areas and collecting data about the forest's flora and fauna through mammal, bird, frog, lizard and snake surveys; and research of the canopies and climate change.
A Camera Trapping Project has been introduced to the Reserve. Motion sensitive cameras are placed strategically within the reserve to capture pictures of large mammals such as the endangered Andean Spectacled Bear (Tremarctos ornatus) in order to learn more about their range and patterns of activity.
Santa Lucía offers a model, both locally and internationally, of what can be achieved in terms of conservation, sustainable employment and community development by a community-owned organisation. It strives to provide opportunities for local people to learn more about their natural environment, conservation and ecotourism, and training within the community is key to the Reserve’s sustainability.
Community
Volunteers are briefed on customs and cultures at the start of their project; where they are asked to be respectful of the local community and to its customs and culture. You will be expected to act in a responsible manner; in many ways Ecuador is still a conservative country and volunteers should act accordingly. Post project reviews are always completed with host communities and volunteers to make sure help is always needed.
Living on the Reserve is a simple way of life - with no electricity, you will learn to appreciate luxuries we take for granted in the Western World.
We interview all volunteers and discuss the project in great detail, you will be given documents about what to expect from your project, from communities and living on the Reserve to how Ecuadorians and the Reserve staff respect their environment. On arrival there is a three-week induction and Spanish language course in Quito, to introduce you to Ecuador. Our local AV representative will talk to volunteers about Ecuador and the country’s history. By experiencing a home stay during the language course you will be able to integrate into the community, and it is also a great introduction to an amazing country. We encourage all volunteers to use local products and services.
In an area of scarce paid employment, Santa Lucia provides jobs and a modest income for members as well as other local people. Training ensures that local people work at all levels in the organisation and the Reserve is proud to say that Santa Lucía is truly a community-owned and community-run organisation. The Reserve strives to extend benefits to the wider community e.g. through working practices, environmental education and the volunteer programme.
1of10
