Costa Rica is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world, and thus one of the prime locations globally to complete an international conservation internship. On this program, interns will have the chance to participate in research conducted by GVI in partnership with highly reputable conservation organisations like the Costa Rican Ministry of the Environment, Energy and Telecommunications (MINAET), Panthera, Coastal Jaguar Conservation, and the Sea Turtle Conservancy. The research projects range from biodiversity surveys of the surrounding habitat, tracking and camera trapping to collect data on jaguars, and walking beaches during turtle nesting season to record data on mother turtles and hatchling success. Interns will also have the opportunity to input data into the relevant databases and learn more about how this data is analysed.
Due to the fact you will work in a national park, you will need a special scientific permit to approve you for conducting research. Further permits are required for turtle and jaguar research. The permit for turtle research takes about one month to process, while the permit for conducting jaguar research takes about 2 to 3 months to process.
Highlights
- Observe Costa Rican wildlife species in their natural habitats, including sea turtles on the Caribbean beach, and monkeys, neo-tropical birds, and amphibians in the canopies above rainforest canals.
- Visit an incredibly jaguar-dense area and one of the only locations in the world where jaguars are known to prey on adult sea turtles.
- Explore the rainforest by canoe and walk the pristine Caribbean beaches.
- Undertake turtle nesting surveys and monitor nesting sites during turtle nesting season.
- Contribute to jaguar research by setting up and checking camera traps in the rainforest.
