Overview
Volunteer with Indigenous Communities on Conservation Projects in Borneo

Volunteering in Borneo will take you to work alongside a local organisation that aims to provide sustainable alternative sources of income for local people, whilst simultaneously protecting the diverse rainforest and its wildlife. Community volunteering in Borneo is instrumental in helping to develop community-based ecotourism ventures to provide local income. There is an immediate need for volunteers to aid the development of nature interpretation trails, help building work at the Eco-Camp and conduct some basic wildlife surveys. It is also hoped that conservation volunteers might prove useful with IT skills and teaching the local community English.

This project is an example of how voluntary work in Asia is valuable to local communities in a variety of ways, and promotes business which works in harmony with its environment.

View Film Footage, images, blogs, volunteer stories from the field, volunteer video diaries and more at the programs media centre

Get involved in this pioneering community and environmental project; it will be one of the most rewarding experiences of your life! Situated in the heart of S.E Asian bio-diversity, volunteers from any background will find their efforts directly benefiting the communities and wildlife that call Borneo home.

Tom Hewitt, Project Team 2007

What Difference Does This Project Make?

This initiative aims to provide sustainable alternative sources of income for local indigenous people by increasing ecotourism opportunities. As well as this, volunteers will help to save and restore habitats for rare and threatened wildlife species, such as orang-utans, gibbons, proboscis monkeys, elephants and otters, amongst others. Volunteers will help sustain ongoing habitat restoration work, such as forest habitat restoration and wetland lake restoration. These efforts provide critical habitats for food, movement and nesting structures, and link forest and wetland waterways.

Highlights

Working with a pioneering local community dedicated to protecting the rainforest and living on the banks of the Kinabatangan River, one of the few places in the world where you can see 10 species of primate, including orang-utans and the endemic proboscis monkey.

Location

South and towards the interior region of Borneo, the lower Kinabatangan is a much written about location. Richer than almost anywhere in South East Asia in wildlife, it is a hotspot for rare and endangered species. The river is surrounded by small patches of forest hemmed in by oil palm plantations. The river remains crucial to the survival of many species and its protection is of paramount importance. An evening or dawn boat ride is an experience that should not be missed, not only to catch sight of rare and spectacular primates and birdlife species seen nowhere else but also to experience the sheer breathtaking beauty of the river.

Field Conditions

Participants will either be living with a local family in the village (home stay) or camping in the forest. In the village you will learn to live in a traditional way and spend a lot of time with your host family. In the forest camps, you may have to cook for yourselves with basic facilities. All local food is usually rice-based with fish and chicken as the main protein sources, however the local people do love their food and make wonderful pastries, fried bananas and amazing curries. Vegetarians can be catered for with a good amount of variety with advance warning.