Animal Release Center in the Tropical Atlantic Forest

My time working with Celine was spent setting up an aquatic habitat monitoring programme across sites based in the IP Bio research facility and at Celine. As there was currently no habitat monitoring in place, this gave me the ideal opportunity to gain new skills as well as help to make a difference with the conservation work that is being carried here in the Atlantic forest.

The location of the release center is amazing and was one of the things that has made my volunteer experience absolutely unforgettable. As well as the exciting new projects that you can get involved in, there are plenty of extra activities to enjoy at the weekends and after work. From caving to hiking and even the chance to get up close with wild dolphins, there is no chance of getting bored!

I would definitely recommend this volunteer opportunity to other people, both with a background in conservation and without as I feel like it is a very unique experience to get involved with. A huge than you to all the other volunteers and incredibly friendly staff at the reserve that made my experience so fantastic!

I came to the Atlantic Forest after deciding to take a sabbatical from the business world before starting my Master’s at Oxford. I was determined to go to Brazil and decided that travelling without a purpose was not for me. I had heard about the Betary Reserve as my friend Imran is a volunteer coordinator. The project also appealed to me in its conservation and research aims.
When I arrived, I had no experience in biology, conservation or research. Still, I hit the ground running, soon having a number of projects to contribute towards. During my time at the Reserve I helped set up a course for volunteers, prepare volunteer presentations in addition to helping around the reserve around the research projects. It was validating to watch my efforts contribute to the crucial conservation and education aims of the organisation. My favourite research projects were the Fish Inventory, where I searched for Fish in the river on a hot sunny day, the Frog Night Search, where we looked for Frogs (you guessed it) at night to gauge the biospheres biodiversity.
Outside of the Reserve I didn’t lack things to do either. I arrived on the weekend of the town’s anniversary and had a reggae concert to attend pretty soon after. Still, the best party was definitely Carnival. We all decided to go to Cananeia (a beach paradise, 2.5 hours away from the reserve) for a day at the beach, dolphin and crab watching, before heading to town for an amazing seafood dinner and the main event: Samba schools parading through town. I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences I have had so far.

Volunteering for FreeWildlifeBrazil Celine is something I could not have imagined. And I mean that in all the best ways. The welcome was warm and informative at the same time and my six-week-stay in the volunteer house couldn't have been better. During the day I was working as a video producer, putting my editing skills to good use. There already is an immense archive of footage made by the great biologists and previous volunteers on site and images caught with camera traps in the forest. The beautiful tropical plants and animals only make you want to add your own sightings to the film stock. With these images I was able to make some video's for the website and the youtube-channel (you should check it out, it gives a good idea of what life and volunteering here is all about). In the evenings and during the weekends you had time to take part in group activities or you could just chill. The surrounding area has a lot to offer: caves to explore and rivers to swim in. The forest in itself is amazing and has a diversity that is unmatched anywhere on the planet. It was delightful to actually experience this wonder of nature and take part in the effort of conserving it.

Although my stay at the institute has been short, I have been able to enjoy myself a lot and learn more about research and conservation of the environment. I highly recommend this volunteering to meet different species of animals and mushrooms, as well as to live with people from different countries. I definitely think that this experience has helped me grow in various aspects. Living in the institute was very comfortable and I have a lot of fun working with all the volunteers.