WorkingAbroad Projects - Ecological and Conservation Volunteer Opportunities Worldwide

Dharamsala Community Project, India Volunteer on grassroots community programmes in Dharamsala, Northern India. Assist in education, primary care, women's empowerment and health education. Placements available year round.

Maldives Island Project Join various projects within the beautiful tropical island of Naifaru, the capital of the Lhaviyani Atoll, in the Maldives. These projects are aimed at conserving the natural environment of the island and promoting social upliftment and cultural exchange. Volunteer projects include Teaching, Sports Coaching, Marine conservation, Community Outreach and Medical programmes.

Desert Elephants Project, Namibia Track desert elephants and take part in community development building work in the beautiful Damaraland region of the Namib Desert where the famous desert-adapted elephants roam free. Volunteers will sleep out in the bush, under the stars and cook around a campfire. Opportunities all year round from 2 weeks up to 12 weeks.

Macaw Release Programme, Costa Rica
Help to breed and release critically endangered Scarlet and Great Green Macaws back into the wild. Opportunities to work at the breeding centre and at three release sites on the Pacific and Caribbean coasts, all year round.

Ocean Spirits Sea Turtle Volunteer Programme, Grenada, Caribbean
Join the project as a Research Assistant volunteer for 3 weeks or more, and take part in leatherback sea turtle night patrols (including flipper tagging, nest excavations, egg counts) and community outreach programmes on the Caribbean island of Grenada. Work within teams of up to 7.

Cheetah Conservation Project, Botswana
Want to work with the fastest mammal in the world, and take part in a long-term conservation project to preserve this magnificent animal? Volunteers are needed to work on the southern edge of the Kalahari desert in Botswana in October 2013.

Leatherback and Black Turtle Project, Costa Rica
Join this project and help conserve the populations of critically endangered East Pacific Leatherback and Pacific Green Sea Turtles in Costa Rica. Project takes place in the spectacular Pacific coast of the Nicoya Province on the beach where Olive Ridley turtles come up in thousands at a time for this phenomenon of nature called "arribadas".

Volunteer in Argentina
Volunteers are needed to participate in various community development, childcare and teaching projects in Buenos Aires, the capital of Argentina. These projects aim to tackle the social issues faced by many communities in this unique city. Opportunities all year round from 2 weeks up to 12 weeks.

Rural Community Project, Nepal
Volunteers are needed to participate in several community projects in the Chitwan region of Nepal and around Kathmandu. These projects are aimed at promoting social upliftment through teaching, cultural exchange and tackling health issues. Opportunities all year round from 2 weeks up to 4 months.

Playa Tortuga Conservation Programme, Costa Rica
Live in a tropical rainforest reserve, and take part in sea turtle research and monitoring, butterfly and bird research, reforestation, caiman monitoring, sea otter research, flora and fauna inventories, mangrove restoration projects, environmental education and more.

Bottlenose Dolphin Research Project, Croatia
This project is the longest ongoing study of a resident population of bottlenose dolphins in the Mediterranean Sea. Volunteers take part in researching the population status and dynamics of the bottlenose dolphins around the islands of Lošinj and Cres, islands off the coast of Croatia.

Teach in Cambodia - An opportunity to immerse yourself in Cambodian life whilst teaching conversational English to students in Phnom Penh - opportunities for 3 months, year round.

Cloud Forest Conservation Programme, Ecuador
Help to conserve a part of the Ecuadorian Cloud Forest by participating in tree planting, trail work, developing medicinal garden, research activities, sustainable living and food production, community development and social projects in La Hesperia's Biological Station nature reserve for 2 weeks up to 3 month periods.

Dolphin & Whale Research, Mediterranean
Take part in dolphin and whale research in the Ligurian Sea in Italy and work alongside scientists on land and at sea from 1 week upwards.

Iceland Wilderness Management Programme, Iceland
Live and work in the heart of pristine Icelandic wilderness, help to remove invasive species, trail work, and way marking. Volunteers are needed for three week programmes. Ideal short placement for those interested in experiencing wilderness camping and rugged terrain whilst working to preserve a national park.

Pacific Sea Turtle Programme, Costa Rica
Olive Ridley turtle research programme from July to January every year - opportunities from 2 weeks up to 12 weeks in duration. Project takes place in the spectacular South Eastern part of Costa Rica on Drake Bay, home to over 25 dolphin and whale species and the Olive Ridley Turtle.

Volunteer in Brazil
Take part in a variety of programmes making a positive impact on Brazilian society and promoting intercultural exchange, ranging from teaching the arts to sports, teaching English, working with children, media & design, NGO development, health care and education, environmental programmes and more. From 3 to 24 weeks all year round.

Watamu Turtle Programme, Kenya
Volunteers can join this programme and take part in marine and turtle conservation work involving research and monitoring of nesting turtles, education and outreach, and alternative income generating activities all throughout the year in Watamu, Kenya. The Watamu Marine Park is part of a United Nations Biosphere Reserve and has been designated as a place of great natural beauty with miles of beautiful beaches and corals rich in marine flora and fauna.

Cape Fear River Watch Internship Programme, Wilmington, USA
Opportunity for interns to join Cape Fear River Watch teams for 6 month periods and take part in river cleanups, water quality monitoring, canoeing and wildlife watching tours in Wilmington, North Carolina, USA. Opportunities for 3 months.

Statia Conservation Project , St. Eustatius, Caribbean
Work in the tranquil island of St. Eustatius, overlooking the island of St. Kitts in the Caribbean Sea, with the St. Eustatius National Parks Foundation helping to conserve the Marine and Quill National Parks. Volunteers take part in sea turtle monitoring, trail work in and around the dormant volcano, botanical gardening, species monitoring and more for 2 month periods.

Teach in Rural Thailand

An opportunity to teach in rural Thailand and to live in a rural homestay within the community. Teach in small village to large town schools in the North Eastern part of Thailand, which is the most untouristed and traditional place in the country. Strong cultural experience living with a local family in a rural homestay, from 2 weeks up to 4 months year round.

Tsau! White Lion Conservation Project, South Africa

An opportunity to work with the 'world-first' reintroduction of White Lions back to the wild in their endemic area - the Greater Timbavati region, in South Africa. Volunteers form part of the conservation monitoring and tracking team, and have a rare opportunity to gain authentic field experience whilst making a valuable contribution to the long-term conservation of the white lions.

Amazon Basin Research and Conservation Project, Peru - this position provides a rare opportunity to work alongside and learn from expert biologists and conservationists in some of the most remote, fascinating and largely unspoiled parts of the Amazon rainforest.

Tibetan Teaching Programme, Dharamsala, India - An opportunity to teach English to Tibetan refugees in Dharamsala, Northern India, the centre of the Tibetan exile government and the residence of H.H. Dalai Lama for 2 months upwards, all year round.

Bear Tracking Project, Northern Sweden
Live and work in the Swedish forest in wooden cabins viewing bear, moose, reindeer, beavers and other wild animals. Open to people of all ages, families and nature enthusiasts - short term break, alternative to a holiday!

White Wilderness - Carpathian Wolf Watch Project, Slovakia
Follow the tracks of Wolves and Lynx in the beautiful Tatra mountains in Slovakia. Learn about the art of tracking and also about the plight of the mythic wolf. A rare opportunity to spend time in deep wilderness with expert trackers, wolf and lynx researchers & wildlife photographers in the midst of winter, when the wilderness is white and the tracks are clear.

WorkingAbroad Projects is a not-for-profit company, established in March 2002, in order to provide small scale organisations with need-based support from volunteers. The aim is also to create projects that are independent, small, effective and that work directly hands on with environmental and cultural issues. The main areas of focus are: wildlife and habitat conservation, environmental education and management, permaculture and organic agriculture and cultural development.