Fauna Forever Tambopata (FFT)

How many volunteers does it take to monitor the vital signs of Earth's greatest rainforest?

Close your eyes and think of a forest. Then imagine that every tree is home to about forty species of ant alone and that it is connected to all its neighbours via filaments of fungi in the soil.

This is your chance to join one of the most important research projects of our time, a unique opportunity to learn new skills and explore one of our planet's most spectacular natural wonders, not to mention a chance to aid directly the conservation and enrichment of a fundamental resource for all life on Earth - the rainforest.

We are looking for volunteer researchers to join our dynamic and energetic project dedicated to the conservation of biodiversity, community development, and proper use of natural resources in the Peruvian Amazon.

Since 1997, we have trained over 150 volunteers in wildlife monitoring techniques, leading towards a better understanding of the natural dynamics of wildlife populations, and the impacts of human activities.

We are in a position to offer those seeking a path in conservation the opportunity to work alongside scientists at the forefront of research and conservation work in Peru.

If you love nature, care about the environment, and feel excited by the notion of participating in a field research initiative with a real purpose, in beautiful and sometimes remote locations, then this is an exceptional opportunity to spend some quality time contributing to wildlife biodiversity research and conservation actions in the Amazon basin.

Pick a Team

The core subjects of our investigations are Mammals, Birds, Herpetofauna (reptiles & amphibians), Insects (butterflies and dung beetles) and Plants. It is necessary for all volunteers to choose one (or two) of these teams to work with while on the FFT project.

Mammals: The mammal team will be responsible for undertaking line-transect surveys in the early morning, afternoon, and occasionally at night, and for maintaining a series of footprint traps and remote camera traps which are sensitive to the heat and motion of animals, as well as recording the presence and absence of more habitat-specific species in areas not directly sampled by these methods.

Birds: The bird team will undertake a combination of early morning point-count censuses of understory birds along pre-established trails, as well as mist-net capture, banding/ringing of birds, and recording incidental encounters with any of the 645 birds species that call Tambopata home.

Herpetofauna: The herpetology team maintain a number of 1-hectare plots in which they will undertake day and night surveys using line-transects and square quadrat searches, as well as intensive species searches in habitats not sampled by these methods, such as bamboo thickets and a swamp or two(!), in order to identify the presence of reptile and amphibian species.

Insects: Insects are by far the dominant group of animals in the rainforest, and the insect team will concentrate its daytime sampling efforts on the butterfly and beetle community, particularly on a select number of indicator species that have been shown to be sensitive to alterations in their habitat as a result of human activity, including the delightful glasswing and morpho butterflies.

Plants: Characterising the composition and physical structure of rainforest in and around the sites studied by the other teams is extremely important, and this team will concentrate on sampling the size, location and identity of all trees found within plots established along transects and other study areas.

What to Expect

The Fauna Forever Tambopata teams will spend an initial few days learning the theoretical and practical background of the field methods to be used and the procedures and tricks used to identify the many species that will be sampled. During this initial training period open presentation and discussion sessions with the Principal Investigator and Director of Fauna Forever (Chris Kirkby) and other FFT staff members will be held about many of the current issues facing the local rainforest and potential solutions. This is a great opportunity to contribute your ideas and opinions to the ongoing dialogue between conservation groups, the government, local grass-roots organisations and communities concerning the appropriate use of the Amazon Rainforest.

The details of the activities that volunteer research assistants undertake largely depends on the research team that they have chosen to work in, e.g. mammals, birds herpetofauna, insects and plants.

Toggle one of the below to discover a day in the life of a volunteer in the team:

Motorised dugout canoes will be used to access the lodges. Roughly 2 weeks is spent at each lodge and team members will be expected to share accommodation facilities. Some lodges to be visited provide rooms with en suite toilets and showers, whilst others provide shared facilities.

During those seldom times when lodges are nearly, or completely full, then project members will be expected to sleep in tents, however good washing and toilet facilities will be provided at all times.

Volunteers will be expected to help maintain their personal areas and keep them clean at all times, and in some lodges will also assist in laying the table at meal times and washing-up. Preparation of meals will be taken care of by lodge staff. Personal hygiene is important, particularly as communal lodge areas will be shared with visiting tourists and all team members will be expected to shower on a daily basis and dress appropriately.

Team members should also expect to be approached by inquisitive tourists and it is encouraged to converse openly with them about the research being undertaken. Questions that can not be answered by a volunteer should be directed to one of the team leaders or co-ordinators.

A component of the research may involve interviewing visiting tourists, who spend between 2-5 days in the area, in order to gauge their opinions of a number of wildlife and tourism management variables. Tour guides and other lodge staff will also be interviewed to update our knowledge of how tourists are managed at each lodge and which tourist trails and areas of forest are visited the most. This will allow us to determine the trail -and forest- use intensity which will be compared against numerous wildlife variables.

During those quiet periods when field surveying is not being undertaken, or indeed when weather conditions restrict people to the lodge compound, volunteers will need to assist the team co-ordinators with data input tasks using project computers.

With all the hard work will come reward beyond daily forest experiences! One day of every week will be devoted to a special outing, such as camping on the shore of an oxbow lake, swimming in a freshwater stream, visiting a macaw or mammal clay-lick, climbing a viewing tower or canopy walkway or if preferred just simply chilling out at leisure.

Volunteers will need to put up with a variety of potential discomforts, including mosquitoes and other insects, mud, rain, and generally humid conditions! These discomforts however are far more than compensated we think by the wildlife encounters to be made and the truly unique experiences to be had.

For past and present accounts and stories from our jungle volunteers, visit our FFT blog here.

Your Background

Applicants should be at least 18 years of age, be in good health, have a fairly good level of physical fitness, and be able to swim 200 m unaided. A keen interest, educational qualifications, and previous experience in a related biological field would be an advantage. Some knowledge of Spanish would also be useful, but is not essential for most aspects of the work, which will be directed in both English and Spanish. A sense of adventure, and the ability to endure often challenging conditions are essential - as is a good sense of humour!

Dates and Prices

FFT Expeditions (please enquire) : 06 Sep - 15 Oct 2010 (US$2,350)

FFT Expeditions (please enquire) : 21 Oct - 29 Nov 2010 (US$2,350)

Phase 11.1 : 29 Dec - 06 Feb 2011 (US$2,150)

Phase 11.2 : 24 Jan - 04 Mar 2011 (US$2,150)

Phase 11.3 : 10 Mar - 18 Apr 2011 (US$2,150)

Phase 11.4 : 24 Apr - 02 Jun 2011 (US$2,150)

Phase 11.5 : 08 Jun - 17 Jul 2011 (US$2,150)

Phase 11.55 : 25 Jun - 20 Aug 2011 (US$3,000)

Phase 11.6 : 23 Jul - 31 Aug 2011 (US$2,150)

Phase 11.7 : 06 Sep - 15 Oct 2011 (US$2,150)

Phase 10.8 : 21 Oct - 29 Nov 2011 (US$2,150)

What does the price include exactly?

> Accomodation from start to end of the phase

> Three substantial and healthy meals every day

> Clean drinking water at all times

> Airport (Puerto Maldonado) transfers on arrival and departure

> Boat transport between town and the research bases

What does the price not include

> Travel insurance (this is essential)

> Flights

> Spending money for alcoholic drinks, snacks, sodas and souvenirs

Apply

Download the Application Form with a copy of the Project's Terms and Conditions. Please complete and email it with your CV (no more than 2 pages) to apply @ faunaforever.org (please remove the spaces in the email address)

Abraham shouted: "Ruuuun!" and that was the last bit of encouragement I needed. I held his day sack close to my chest and I sped with all my might down the trail. I guess I was running too fast because I felt like my feet could not catch up with my pace. I was so scared that I felt my face go white from the blood rushing down to my feet! I was gasping for air as I ran out of energy and I shouted to him that I could not run anymore. I turned my head to Abraham who was a few metres behind me and he told me to stop. I was so relieved and stopped just before one of our footprint traps of T1 trail. I saw a wasp stuck on his shirt and he said he had only been stung by two. We laughed and laughed and laughed... ...I wish to thank Brian, Terry and Sara for everything they have taught me... ...Thanks to the project for this experience - I can't wait to share this all with my family and friends back home in Malaysia. - Fahrol Liza Jaafar (Malaysia)

And thus our great trip is coming to a close. We've just gotten back from TRC where we saw those of the team that were still there and got one last hurrah in the jungle. The boat ride up was absolutely spectacular. While it was still light we saw an entire family of half a dozen Capybara, but we had gotten a late start and so later we wound up driving straight into another particularly beautiful sunset on the river. And as if this weren't enough, as the light from the sunset faded, the almost full moon was rising in the sky to our left as an enormous lightning storm started flashing behind us. It was far enough away that we couldn't hear the thunder, but it must have been several miles wide, and the strikes were absolutely incessant, brilliantly lighting up the hazy thunderheads every second or two. Eventually another storm cropped up in front us, and our boat was surrounded on all four sides by the moon glinting off the river, the dimming glow of the sunset and the luminous bursts from the storms. - Ned Lederer (USA)

Indeed, much in the same way as a pet owner will start looking like their pet. I started out on the herp team with Brian as my coordinator. Nothing will go to waste if Brian sits at your table. He will happily polish off anything that is left on one's plate. And I was doing pretty much the same. I just felt hungry all the time. Then I switched to the bird team after 3 weeks. Strangely my appetite got a lot less all of sudden. Cesar doesn't exactly eat like a bird but (shock, horror, unthinkable to the herp team) he has missed meals at times because he was napping. Sleep is never, I repeat, never, more important than food. It is still the only reason I get up in the mornings. But all of a sudden I found myself only having my own food, even if there were leftovers going that even Brian didn't want. So if you have a fast metabolism, join the herp team. If you want to lose a few pounds, welcome to the bird team. I have no experience yet with the mammal team but I expect it is somewhere in the middle. - Sara De Vos (Austria)