Earthwatch Institute (Europe)

 Earthwatch has 130 conservation projects in more than 50 countries.

 

They are an international environmental charity and they have been supporting field research for over 35 years in order to help find solutions to some of the planet’s most pressing environmental problems. They do this by providing scientists with funds and volunteers. 

 

Their expeditions aim to gather more information about the impacts of climate change, monitor the habitat needs of endangered species, and find solutions to land conflicts between wildlife and local communities. The aim is to better understand critical environmental issues in order to inform and influence conservation decisions.  (photo to the right by John Rollino)

 

 

 

For environmentally conscious travellers, an Earthwatch expedition offers the rare opportunity to spend time learning from the experts in some of the most beautiful parts of the world while directly contributing to conservation.

 

Expeditions last from 2 days to 3 weeks and there are opportunities for everyone, including teenagers, families and the over 60s. (photo to the left by Caroline Campbell)

 

Some expeditions, such as Madagascar’s Lemurs and Icelandic Glaciers are physically demanding, while others such as Elephants of Tsavo and Dolphins of Greece are mentally stimulating - offering volunteers the opportunity to observe animal behaviour at close quarters.   

The work of volunteers really does make a difference. In the Virgin Islands, Earthwatch volunteers have patrolled turtle nesting beaches for the past 25 years ensuring that turtle eggs are moved above the high tide mark and poachers are deterred. As a direct result of this day to day beach conservation the number of hatchlings born has increased twenty fold. And in 2007 the International Maritime Organization (IMO) agreed to divert shipping lanes off the southern coast of Spain in order to avoid important bottlenose dolphin foraging grounds as a direct result of Earthwatch research.

 

Volunteers might choose to help survey harbour porpoises, bottlenose dolphins, and minke whales in the Moray Firth, Scotland. Volunteers play a leading role in their conservation by taking photographs for individual identification and recording their behaviour. Not only do you learn about the area’s abundant marine life but you are also trained to rescue a stranded whale or dolphin, should the need arise.(Photo to right by Dale Curtis)

 

Further a field in Nova Scotia, Canada, volunteers can help scientists to determine the impact of climate change on an array of different species, from white-tailed deer to bobcats and raccoons to porcupines. The precarious position of this vast wilderness on the edge of the Gulf Stream leaves its inhabitants vulnerable to rapid changes in climate so more information is needed about how to protect these species in the future.   

Since Earthwatch’s inception they have brought together over 80,000 members of the public to work as volunteers on field research projects, a unique approach which not only provides essential funding for long term research, but also supplies a ‘hands on’ workforce of enthusiastic volunteers to support the scientists.

 

 

Volunteers contribute a share of the costs in order to join an expedition, and these contributions range from £175 to £2000. This is a charitable donation which sustains the research, it also covers accommodation, food, training, medical evacuation and the offsetting of carbon emissions from volunteer travel.

 

Earthwatch volunteer Clare Hurren comments, “I have been on 13 projects and can honestly say that no other experience comes close to a trip with Earthwatch. Every expedition I have been on has been so much fun – I have met wonderful people and made lifelong friends, and all this whilst knowing that I am contributing to the vital research that Earthwatch supports.”

 

“The contribution our volunteers make by helping us to gather data, and find solutions to global environmental problems, is invaluable,” continues Nigel Winser, Earthwatch’s Executive Director. “The help of volunteers is more important than ever right now, so whatever you choose to do, rest assured that you will be doing something remarkable for the planet.”