Biodiversity Research Institute in the Tropical Forest of Brazil

As my stay at the Betary Reserve was the first time I've ever travelled by myself (I just graduated from high school) I expected myself in eventually feeling clueless, but as soon as I took my first step out of the bus at the Betary Reserve I had to change my mind. The volunteer coordinators as well as some other volunteers welcomed me warmly and I immediatly started loving the whole atmosphere that stayed awesome throughout my whole 12 weeks at the Betary Reserve.

In my luck I arrived right before the Brazilian Independence Day which meant that I did not have to work on my first days, but got to enjoy the Brazilian holiday atmosphere as well as some trips to waterfalls and beautiful Cananéia, but even when work started it did not feel like work. It was fun, especially because most of the time all volunteers worked together, sometimes playing music in the background and making a lot of jokes. Usually the staff also takes part and is always open for questions. They may don't speak English, but understand it pretty well and answer in slow, understandable Portuguese.

Eventhough I applied as an Eco Volunteer I got to work at the Amphibian Research Program. I didn't know frogs and tadpoles were so cute! It was really fun to work with both, but especially the tree frogs called Boana Faber grabbed my heart. You really feel like a proud mother when you can watch the tadpoles becoming frogs.
But obviously I also enjoyed all the other projects I got to work on.

Next to work we also did a lot of weekend activities, organized with the help of the volunteer coordinators. We hiked to beautiful waterfalls, caves or just enjoyed Caipirinhas on the beach of Cananéia. In Iporanga, the small town next to the Reserve are also a lot of small, a little bit old looking bars where you can easily meet the locals who were also super friendly. Very easily I became friends with the bus driver of the school bus who from then always took me back to the Reserve after I went grocery shopping.

Adding everything together my trip to the Betary Reserve was the perfect choice for my first travel and I recommend it to everyone else who wants to experience the true Brazil with all its beautiful and also weird aspects!

PS: If you want to do trips to other places in Brazil like Rio de Janeiro or Iguacu, you can easily take a few days off.

One of my goals in volunteering at the Betary Reserve was to gain life experience, develop life skills, and mature as a person. In this regard, volunteering at the Betary Reserve has been invaluable. Living on my own without the safety net of my parents forced me to learn how to cook and take care of myself. Being forced out of my comfort zone led to much personal growth and has resulting in me leading a more adventurous lifestyle.

My second goal in volunteering at the reserve was to figure out whether I want to pursue a career in the environmental science field, and what career in that field appeals to me. I went into the experience expecting more interaction with the scientists and more data analysis than I got, though it must be noted that that was a misunderstanding on my part in addition to something that the reserve should probably make clearer. The purpose of the Betary Reserve is to gather scientific data which is sent to partner universities for analysis and use in research. Due to the nature of this relationship, as a volunteer I did very little analysis, which was a bit disappointing since I wanted to get a wider range of experience at different parts of the process. While the reserve’s staff includes a handful of biologists, we didn’t interact with them in our duties. The one scientist we worked with was an amazing and knowledgeable post-graduate who specialized in mushrooms. An environmental technician is the career most closely matching the data collection focused volunteer work we did, and while the projects were interesting and enjoyable, I can’t see myself doing it for the rest of my life. I wanted to be involved with the research applying the collected data, and without that involvement, I found it hard to be engaged with certain projects. This was a sentiment shared by some of my fellow volunteers. The volunteer coordinator was a volunteer turned staff member, and not being a scientist, wasn’t able to answer many in depth questions regarding the application of the data.

In addition to my role as an eco-volunteer, I did photography for the reserve, taking nature shots and candid photos of my fellow volunteers for use in promotional material. Taking pictures for the reserve was very enjoyable and gave me access to thousands of great photo-ops. After two months of taking pictures at the reserve and in town, I still have a long list of places and things I want to photograph.

A review of my experience would be incomplete without mentioning my fellow volunteers. I believe that the people who spend their time and money to help the world are good people, and the volunteers I met on the reserve reinforced that belief. Every volunteer I met was from a different country and their ages ranged from an 18-year-old to a 32-year-old, and yet we all got along and formed a strong group dynamic that supported each other and made the experience very enjoyable. In the evenings we would play card games or go to a nearby hostel to relax and eat a buffet dinner, and on weekends we hiked to caves or waterfalls, up rivers, or into the nearby town. The weekend often involved drinking games, but there was never any peer pressure directed at those like myself who didn’t drink alcohol, and we were included in the games. I have certainly made lifelong friends during this adventure.

A review of volunteering with the Betary Reserve would also be incomplete without mentioning the staggering abundance of nature found in the buffer zone. I really like Brazil, and specifically like the local town -- a 10-minute drive from the reserve -- Iporanga. Although it is a poor area of an economically disadvantaged nation, everybody in the town is extremely friendly and hospitable. The reserve itself is an enjoyable environment to work in, and every night I would go out to the ponds or greenhouse to look for and photograph tree frogs, aquatic spiders, and metamorphosing dragonflies. Although I did this almost every evening for two months, it never stopped being amazing. At the ponds are bioluminescent mosquito larvae which turn the pond into a wonderland of lights, mosquitoes in the water, and fireflies above. Above the fireflies are the stars. I’ve never seen so many stars in my life. The reserve really is out in the middle of nowhere, which is evident when you look up and see no air pollution or light pollution. While certain features of the climate (mosquitoes and high humidity) are undesirable, they are overshadowed by the abundance of life that results from the climate and geography of the area.
This place truly is amazing, and no review can entirely capture how valuable and enjoyable the experience was for me. I am considering returning to volunteer here in the future but focusing on photography as a media-volunteer. I have done a lot of traveling, and this is one of the places I want to go back to, to photograph like crazy, and to explore. I feel a connection to this place.

Being a Photographer by profession, coming to the Betary Reserve was the best move I could have made. There are so many incredible animals living in the Atlantic Forest – nevermind the gorgeous landscapes. Every step you take, every way you look, you’re going to see a beautiful picture. You can find anything from Toucans and Hummingbirds, to large snakes, monkeys and Armadillos to glowing mushrooms and colourful flowers in every season.
But even aside from that, it was an incredible experience. There are so many things to see in the area, from waterfalls to caves and forest trails. You can go down tubing on the river, go on a day trip to the sea and swim with dolphins, or just spend some time in Iporanga, going to town parties or have dinner.
While I had the advantage of speaking some Portuguese, it’s really not necessary. The people here are some of the friendliest I have ever come across, and I have watched with amusement as English speaking Volunteers managed to have full on conversations with Brazilian people speaking Portuguese and somehow still managed to make themselves understood.
I have fallen in love with Brazil, and the Atlantic Forest in particular in the three months I spent here, which made my decision to return for a full year all the easier. I want to see Iporanga and the Betary Reserve throughout all seasons and be a part of the wonderful mission of uncovering nature’s secrets in order to preserve it and try to show the rest of the world that it is something worth protecting through my photographs.

It was such a nice experience for me in the middle of the Atlantic Rainforest at IPBIO that words wont do justice to describe my stay there. The staff members and everyone else who is connected to this organisation is so incredible nice and helpful. From the beginning till the end of my stay I've always felt supported and solutions were tried to be found for any concern as quickly as possible. The surroundings in which IPBIO is located are incredible. The Atlantic Rainforest is absolutely beautiful in its abundance and richness of fauna and flora. Every day there was a new surprise of another beautiful plant or animal being discovered by my amazed eyes.
I worked there as an eco volunteer and I simply loved my work. I was mainly helping carrying out research studies with tadpoles and frogs but I've also participated in a lot of other projects like habitat monitoring, tree inventory or bird monitoring (i was really bad at getting pictures of birds but it was fun anyway).
I was lucky to be there at the same time with a lot of other wonderful people from all over the world, and also thanks to them my stay was such a unique experience. thanks a lot guys :-)!!

I spent 4 weeks as a biodiversity research assistant at IPBio. My role involved spending half my time carrying out the amphibian research projects and the other half helping with the general eco-volunteer projects (e.g. bird inventory, tree inventory, mushroom inventory, fresh water habitat monitoring, reviewing camera trap footage).

The programme was very well organised and everything turned out according to plan and as prescribed. The volunteer co-ordinators Imran and Marleen, as well as all the other staff, are friendly and helpful. There is a positive attitude and things get done quickly and effectively.

The work was varied and interesting. There was a good mix of practical field work with time spent in the lab. It taught me to take an even closer look at the natural world around me and appreciate the smaller things in the forest, which I will take forward with me. My only bit of criticism is that I felt the studies were not all scientifically rigorous (e.g. variable such as number of people collecting data not controlled) and it was also not always clear what the purpose or end goal was for some projects. As the organisation continues to develop (which it will, it's run by enthusiastic and forward thinking people) I would like to see closer links fostered with universities and research groups to create more rigorous work with a higer impact.

The setting is wonderful surrounded by beautiful Atlantic forest and far from the city. The reserve itself used to be farmland and it is amazing to see how nature has reclaimed the land. I also loved exploring the local town Iporanga which is not on the tourist trail and gives you a feel for real small town Brazil - horse is a common form of transport!

The social scene was excellent and I really enjoyed getting to know other volunteers from around the world. You quickly make friendships that make the experience. There are opportunities to do get trips to caves, waterfalls and the coast on weekends.

All in all a great and worthwhile experience.

I volunteered at IPBio as a video editor/videographer for and I must say that I truly recommend this wonderful place to anyone who is looking for an enriching experience in the jungle. Coming from the bay area in California, the change in scenery and environment was something I was really looking forward to. The process of getting there and being introduced to the place was all very streamlined and quite simple to do. At first I was very anxious, however once I got off the bus and met with Marleen and Imran, I felt instantly comfortable and excited to get started. I was editing a documentary style video for IPBio so my weekdays were spent mainly working on that. However if I thought I had the time, I joined the Eco-volunteers in mushroom hunting and other activities! Every weekend I spent there was breathtaking; from towering waterfalls to cathedral-like caves, my mouth dropped open each time at every destination and it made me fall in love with Brazil more and more. I honestly never felt safer here and within the three weeks I was there (I regret not staying longer!) I already felt part of the community within the reserve as well as the small community in the nearby town, Iporanga. The hospitality and kindness of the people there truly made my time there so amazing and memorable. If you are on the brink of deciding whether you should come here, I urge you to do so and if you were deciding the length of time to stay, I advise you to go big because time passes so so fast here it’s honestly hard to wrap my mind around!

This experience was great in several ways. I always wanted to do my share in protecting biodiversity and discovering wild life. So when I heard about IPBIO I planned to go there. Done, I was there for a month and it surpassed my expectations. First, I was surprised how nice and welcoming Brazilian people are. Then the landscape is crazy; jungle, mountains cave and waterfalls are everywhere. About IPBIO; the working activities are nice and diverse - we can participate at mushrooms inventory, birds, tree inventory even fish. Mammals you can inventory by using the camera traps are also amazing. But the most interesting aspect is to live with people from everywhere, different languages and areas but all super nice !

At the Atlantic Forest Betary Reserve Field Station the work was enjoyable and rewarding and the staff and locals are all very friendly and welcoming. By the end of my stay everyone felt like family. I always had the weekends to look forward to because there were so many tourist activities to take part in and there was always a BBQ happening somewhere.
I was a mushroom volunteer researcher for 6 months and I spent the majority of my work week developing methods for growing bioluminescent mushroom species endemic to the Atlantic Forest in conjunction with a lab at Sao Paolo University. Another main part of my work was helping to implement a mushroom inventory process for the reserve to begin to collect, identify and catalogue mushroom species and track and maintain mushroom biodiversity. I completed scientific article research to gain updated and background information on current mushroom species identified in the Atlantic Forest and growing methods across many different cultivated and non-cultivated species. I worked to maintain mushroom mycelium cultures by replication involving media preparation, clean room, Laminar flow hood and autoclave use and sterilization practices. I helped support the Volunteer Manager with integrating and familiarizing new volunteers with the reserve and field station. Aside from all this I had the opportunity to support multiple projects including amphibian monitoring of Bd fungus effects, bioacoustics tracking, camera trap tracking, tree inventory, habitat monitoring of ponds, fish inventory of local stream, aquaponics system setup and gardening tasks. I definitely recommend IPBIO!