Conservation Internship in Costa Rica

Overview

Gain experience in the rainforests of Costa Rica for a conservation-based career, working and living alongside our research team.

You will learn a range of skills on the internship from those focused on research such as data processing, biological surveys, camera trapping, species identification, to practical skills such as first aid, canoeing and more.



On successful completion of your initial training phase, you will proceed to your work placement site and will work with either our team to help run and manage our conservation projects, or you will have the opportunity to work with one of our partner rainforest lodges doing wildlife and habitat conservation.  Either way you will be working alongside a professional conservation team, learning from them all along the way.

After a successful internship, qualifying candidates may be given the opportunity to work for GVI or selected partner organisations in Costa Rica, or in other countries around the world where GVI operate. Field work positions can be paid or unpaid, range in duration from one month to one year, and availability varies. Qualification for possible GVI positions is at the sole discretion of Global Vision International.

All internships are geared at developing your leadership and role model skills, allowing you to develop a variety of key soft and hard skills that will put you a step ahead the rest of the pack. GVI have been running community development, education, and conservation projects since 1997 and our highly experienced field staff will help you gain and improve vital skill sets to improve your future job prospects.

Testimonial

"I am so pleased that I made a 6 month commitment to living and working in such a unique place. The wealth of biodiversity I wanted to experience has exceeded all my expectations. I have met wonderful people here who have further enriched my experience. The GVI Jalova 6-month internship was a great choice for me and I would recommend it highly."

Life on the Internship

Your First 12 Weeks

The first phase of your internship will concentrate on training alongside GVI team members. You will learn how to conduct biological surveys, set up a camera trap, species identification and practical skills such as first aid, canoeing and more.

Work Placements

The second phase of the internship will be a work placement within the GVI team to help run our conservation research programme in the Toruguero National Park, or with one of our partner organisations in other regions of Costa Rica, where interns will be assisting in local conservation efforts and/or scientific research.

By the end of the internship programme, participants will have the skills to monitor a wide range of mini-ecosystems in a very diverse location, apply a holistic approach to conservation and return home with a range of certifications alongside valuable field based experience.

Project Details

The programme, once the rigorous training (including an obligatory first aid qualification) phase is complete; rotates amongst a series of focus projects:

Monitoring and Conservation of Sea Turtles (running March to October): Recording important conservation data on nesting for a range of marine turtle species including hawksbill, green, and leatherback.

Marine Turtle Predation by Jaguars: investigating the impact of Jaguar populations on sea turtle populations.

Jaguar, Mammal and Prey Species Abundance Study: we set up camera traps, and conduct transects that record tracks and signs in the National Park forest.

Resident and Migratory Bird Research: We monitor 30 key aquatic bird species to collect long-term seasonal trend data on resident and migratory birds on canoe based surveys.

Biological Assessment Survey (BAS): The aim of the BAS study is to identify all species of Amphibia, Aves, Mammalia and Reptilia across trails encompassing the four major habitat types around Jalova biological station, to provide important data necessary to understand and preserve the local ecology and find a balance between human needs and those of all other species inhabiting Tortuguero National Park.

Jalova's short, mid, and long-term objectives:

All of our programs have short, mid and long-term objectives that fit with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. This enables us to report on our collaborative impact across the world in a streamlined manner, measuring which UN SDGs we are making a substantial contribution to. Furthermore, this will help our local partners and communities measure and visualize their contribution to the UN SDGs.

Upon arrival to base, you will be educated about the history of the UN SDGs. You will learn about the specific goals of your location, the long-, mid- and short-term objectives, and also clarification of how your personal, shorter-term involvement contributes to these goals on a global level.

Our aim is to educate you on local and global issues, so that you continue to act as active global citizens after your program, helping to fulfill our mission of building a global network of people united by their passion to make a difference.

Learn about the long-term objectives you will be contributing to in Jalova:

1. Increase scientific knowledge of Tortuguero National Park
2. Increase awareness of GVI Jalova projects and the ecological value of the Tortuguero National Park
3. Build local capacity to support long-term conservation of biodiversity and sustainable community development in Costa Rica
4. Continue to minimize our environmental impact on Tortuguero National Park and raise awareness of environmental issues amongst volunteers and visitors

How this project makes a difference:

The volunteering carried out by GVI Costa Rica has provided a huge amount of critical data to the Costa Rican government to help them to make important conservation decisions and ensure the survival of the biodiversity of this unique area of the rainforest.

For example, much of our volunteering efforts have been used to achieve massive reductions in sea turtle nest poaching.