Volunteer In Environment | The Ultimate Guide

You are an adventurous person, who loves being outdoors and is curious about ways to face environmental issues? Become a volunteer in environment and take the chance to contribute to the protection of our ecosystem in a foreign country. Besides doing meaningful work, you’ll have the unique opportunity to get inspired by different cultures, customs and beautiful sceneries that will definitely take your breath away.

In times of globalisation and climate change is more important than ever, to pay attention to your ecological footprint. Although environmental concerns are part of almost every political agenda of every country, developing countries often set focus on their social and economic environment rather than supporting the ecological progress. Therefore, volunteers are needed to increase the prevailing sustainability by supporting on-site teams in environmental mentoring or ecological restoration.

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• Ecological Foodprint: As a volunteer in environment you’ll not only support developing countries in their ecological progress; you’ll contribute to a much bigger cause as your work can help to decelerate climate change
• Improve research skills: As most conservation programs go hand in hand with research tasks that a volunteer in environment has to pay attention to, there is a really good chance for you to become an expert on how to set up a survey, how to gather required data and how to analyse these data. As this is a part of many university programs as well, you’ll surprise your professor with the knowledge that you already have
• Learn to think outside the box: Besides learning a lot of new things about situation and progress of sustainability in the prevailing country, you will learn how to improvise as well. In some situations, there aren’t all necessary resources available so that you’ll have to find extraordinary solutions quite quickly
• Untouched nature: As many expeditions will lead you through off-road areas, you’re able to explore places as they truly are and not what society has made of it. As there aren’t many of such places anymore, this will be a very unique opportunity for you[/item][/accordion]

Conservation

As conservation involves many environmental facets, your volunteer work never becomes monotonous. Help to create awareness by becoming an environmental activist in Brazil or work alongside biologists by assisting in the campaigning or education process in Africa. If you are rather looking for an adventure in the wild, take part in a monitoring program. Support on-site teams in data collection, tracking behaviour or project management. Take the unique chance to explore untouched places and observe rare species in their natural environment. Especially monkeys behave quite differently in their natural habitat as you’ll recognise a wide range of behaviours, that you may have never seen before. No matter what kind of program you choose, your contribution will help to protect endangered fauna and flora.

Farming

Especially in the developing world, food shortages happen quite often due to limited resources. Participate in a farming program and ensure the increase of resources by volunteering on coffee and sugar farms in Columbia or support local farmers in optimising their processes in harvesting and seeding. Besides assisting in daily work tasks, you can help to foster long-term sustainability by teaching local farmers in terms of efficient use of land, the use of regenerative systems or possibilities of natural pest control. Besides contributing to a better cause, you will be surprised how much you will learn about traditional techniques.

Research

As an important part of sustainability, it’s indispensable to evaluate collected data on how to prevent climate change or extinction of certain species. As a volunteer in environment with a focus on research, you provide the predecessor for an on-going improvement of environmental factors. Participate in socio-economic- or biophysics research through walking the sampling places and observation points, analysing collected data and writing progress reports. Besides contributing to a better cause, a positive side effect are newly gained research skills. With your effort to make a difference you can help to ensure sustainable development of underprivileged countries and gain an inside view of what it means to be a researcher at the same time.

Sustainability

When it comes to sustainability, especially rural areas lack in providing knowledge or resources for adequate recycling or sustainable planning of operating cycles. As you will be trained in advance, you can help to promote recycling schemes or organise trainings and workshops to teach children about ways to handle things in a sustainable way. Because sustainability isn’t ensured through educational settings alone, foster the sustainability process by contributing to eco-construction as well. Your effort will help to apply solar systems, grey water recycling or the construction of light roofs. Besides ensuring general sustainability, you can help to secure the sustainability of the projects as well.

Where to volunteer

Because supporting environmental progress is an important cause all over the world, there are various destinations that offer you the option to volunteer in environment. Click on the map to see which opportunities are currently available.

I had never ever in my life felt so satisfied and happy with myself than I feel now after volunteering.
– Judith (23), volunteer from the United Kingdom

 Important facts to Know

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Be aware that getting involved in environmental conservation means getting involved physically. Most of the programs require a health declaration to have some prove in advance, that you are equal to your volunteer tasks. If you’re a healthy person altogether, you will be perfectly fine. There is no need to do some extra workout in advance.

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[item title=”Environmental Characteristics”]Be one Step ahead: When working in a certain environment or with certain animals, be sure to get as many information ahead as you can. You might work with foreign fauna and flora that your body isn’t used to. Therefore, check for possible allergies in advance.[/item]
[item title=”Risk Management Strategy”]As a volunteer in environment, your expeditions with the program will not always be in secure environments. In other words: you will be observing in remote areas that are not necessarily safe for human visitors. Check with the program if they have a risk strategy and additionally, get some information about how to behave in risky situations with animals as well.[/item]

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Although all projects have a certain stock of the required equipment, bring your own binoculars and compasses if you already have some. Therefore, you can continue observing rare species in your leisure time as well.

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Typical program for a volunteer in environment

To find the right program for you, it’s advisable to know how a typical program looks like. To make it easier for you, this overview provides the most important information that you have to consider when choosing a program:

• Average duration: 2 – 50 weeks
• Average fee: $230/week
• Average working hours: Monday – Friday / 8.00 am – 16.00 pm
• Requirements: Intermediate English, minimum age of 18 years, health declaration, criminal background check, university degree in some cases

How to Apply

After reading so much about your opportunities to make a difference as a volunteer you’re probably interested how you can apply for your favourite project in particular. Just follow these steps and you’re free to volunteer abroad in no time.

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Find Opportunities

Browse your program in Environment and have look at which program you would like to help. Choose where to volunteer and which cause you prefer to support.

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Send Application

Go to the program page of your favoured volunteer program and click on “Apply” on the right sidebar. Set the date for your stay, cross check your personal information, upload the required documents and click “send application” afterwards.

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Receive Invitation

If you’re accepted, the social project will send you an official invitation, including your duration and program fees. Accept the invitation to reserve your spot.

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Now you have every information you need to find your perfect match for your social trip abroad in environment. All you have to do now is browsing through the various programs on Volunteer World.

This platform is all about making volunteering simple and transparent. Featuring more than 500 volunteer programs in 70+ countries, it is a one-stop resource for volunteer abroad opportunities. If your are interested in other categories or ways to volunteer abroad, click here for more inspiration.