About the Amazon Restoration Volunteer & Internship Programme
At the active reforestation centre and productive farm, you will help to reach the project goal to plant tens of thousands of trees each year. You will help the farm to act as a Living Seed Bank of Amazonian biodiversity including over 650 plant species (400 of them being trees), with tree nurseries raising over 100 species a year. As one of the only native species-focused reforestation initiatives in the Amazon, you will help constantly monitor and document the growth of endangered species for which little scientific research currently exists.
You will also be actively involved in experimentation with and production of non-timber forest products of the Amazon. You can help distil essential oils of aromatic species like the highly endangered rosewood; ferment, dry, and roast your own cacao beans; produce banana vinegar and more.
The reforestation centre also is a hub for educational workshops and gatherings with local farmers and native communities, including Amazonian agroforests who grow rosewood for our supply chain. This is an educational centre, but with the intention of demonstrating that regenerative agroforestry is a viable economic strategy for Amazonian smallholders.
Wildlife/Plant Life and Environment
In the Madre de Dios region, one of the most biodiverse regions still left in the Amazon, there are over 600 species of birds, over 60 species of mammals and 170 species of reptiles and amphibians.
These are some examples of species found in the region:
– Jaguar
– Harpy eagle
– Tapir
– Puma
– Emerald tree boa
– Anaconda
– Bushmaster
– Spider monkey
– Howler monkey
– Various parrot and macaw species
– Yellow-footed tortoise
Volunteer & Internship Activities
Volunteers and interns are welcome to participate in the day-to-day life of an active Reforestation centre. This includes sharing meals, maintenance of tools and living spaces, wholehearted participation in seasonal farm activities, cleaning up, and other tasks that are part of communal living on a tropical farm. Volunteers and interns are expected to be respectful of local (Spanish-speaking!) teammates, of their culture, values and practices.
During your stay your primary activities will include:
- Planting trees
- Registering planted trees with our own app
- Working with seedlings in the nursery
- Management of tropical vegetable gardens
- Harvesting fruits and vegetables
- Assisting team members with other day-to-day activities at the Reforestation Centre
Some of the secondary activities you might participate in are:
- Seed collection
- Trail clearing in primary forest
- Cooking
- Post-harvest processing of farm products
- Carpentry
- Biological research
- Cleaning duties
Difference between Volunteers & Interns
Interns can join the programme at a discounted rate to volunteers, because they have a few more obligations and responsibilities than volunteers, including:
- Interns have a personal project while on site, and give a final presentation on the personal project before leaving.
- They help onboard newly arriving volunteers and help give tours to visitors.
- Interns participate in the development of the centre’s communications content: blog and social media posts.
