Wildlife conservation and community volunteer projects and internships worldwide

Volunteer for Marine Conservation

"The ocean's power of regeneration is remarkable - if we just offer it the chance .... We are in reach of a whole new relationship with the ocean, a wiser, more sustainable relationship. The choice lies with us."

Sir David Attenborough

Marine conservation seeks to protect and restore the health of our oceans in all of their complexity and is a priority issue for which urgent action must be taken to save our seas. 71% of our planet is covered by oceans and the medley of underwater habitats that comprise the aquatic environment range. From colourful coral reefs to deep kelp forests, our marine ecosystems contain more biodiversity than than any terrestrial ecosystem.

The threats facing our oceans, which include climate change, over-fishing, bottom trawling, the contamination of our oceans with waste and effluents, and the removal of coastal habitats (such as mangroves), have led to a perfect storm of negative impacts on marine life and the human societies that depend on them across the planet. Under climate change scenarios, our oceans are forecast to get warmer and more acidic, which will lead to faster melting of ice caps and rising sea levels. 

Our marine-focused volunteer programmes promote the protection of vital ocean habitats and support important research, monitoring and educational activities around the globe. Our programs involve monitoring and researching marine species including sea turtles in Costa Rica and Grenada, great white sharks in South Africa and dolphins in Scotland and Croatia. We have programmes which support the important coral reef ecosystems in Thailand, Mauritius, Australia and the West Indies. We develop and deliver marine community education programmes in the Maldives and South Africa.

Our volunteer and internship programmes equip volunteers with key conservation skills and participants gain important insights and experience for future work in the conservation world. Conservation activities are carried out with volunteers, local people and NGOs to create a community committed to protecting and restoring our oceans.

Our Projects with Marine Conservation

Sir David Attenborough

"The ocean's power of regeneration is remarkable - if we just offer it the chance .... We are in reach of a whole new relationship with the ocean, a wiser, more sustainable relationship. The choice lies with us."

Sir David Attenborough
Marine Facts

Marine Facts

  • Half of all oxygen on the planet is produced by the oceans
  • Oceans absorb carbon dioxide and in excess this process can lead to ‘ocean acidification’.
  • The Mariana Trench is the deepest part of the ocean and the deepest location on Earth. It is 11,034 meters (36,201 feet) deep, which is almost 7 miles.
  • In the 1990s, there was an average global ice melt of 0.8 trillion tonnes per year; by 2017, there was an average of 1.3 trillion tonnes per year.This is a 65% increase in the rate of ice loss between 1994 and 2017.
Marine Conservation Strategies

Marine Conservation Strategies

  • Design an international network of Marine Protected Areas with applied marine stewardship principles and systematic conservation planning.
  • Integrate land-freshwater-sea conservation planning and management.
  • Lead by example: define and achieve good environmental status in all European waters.
  • Develop conservation strategies to address the impacts of global change.
  • Prioritise conservation goals in full collaboration with stakeholders.
  • Read more about these strategies here
Take action for marine life

Take action for marine life

  1. If you are going to eat seafood, look for sustainably sourced seafood and learn about certifications such as the Marine Stewardship Council 
  2. Reduce, reuse and recycle plastics and check your favourite products to avoid microplastics
  3. Why not organise a litter picking event to clean up beaches and the seafront? 
  4. Support organisations which are working to promote and protect marine life, volunteer if you can, or even a few pounds a month by direct debit will be a big help.
  5. Educate yourself and others, build your capacity to take action against a sea of plastics, and by opposing, end it.