Cape Verde
Overview of Cape Verde
Cape Verde is an archipelago made up of 10 islands, situated in the eastern Atlantic. The island of Boa Vista is the closest one to the African continent. It is known as “the Island of Dunes” because of its immense coastal dune fields. 52% of the archipelago’s white sand beaches are found on the island, along with cliffs, coves and shallow bays.
Joao Barrosa beach is located in the Tartarugas (Turtle) Nature Reserve and spans 5 kilometres of coast. The common turtle is considered vulnerable but in Cape Verde it is endangered as the population is one of the eleven most threatened sea turtle colonies in the world.
Conservation Project
The conservation programme aims to protect, conserve and manage important sea turtle habitats. Preventing illegal hunting, improving the hatching rate of eggs kept low by predators such as the ghost crab. Supporting the sustainable development of local populations, increasing public awareness of sea turtles’ behaviour and contributing to local, regional, national and international cooperation on the conservation of sea turtles.
What will your duties be?
- The camp, situated on Joao Barrosa beach, accommodates some 30 people. Local staff contracted for the entire season, temporary volunteers and scientific researchers.
- The team is divided into groups of 2 – 5 people working in two shifts at night:
- Protection and surveillance of reproducing female turtles and their nests.
- Marking and monitoring of females.
- Daily register of turtle nests.
- Rescue of females and disorientated or stranded hatchlings.
- Collection of data on hatchlings.
- Excavation of nests at the end of the incubation period.
- Protection of turtle hatchlings until they reach the sea.
Facilities, logistics and food
- All the facilities are temporary, put up in the month of May and taken down in November. The camp is sheltered by a group of trees and comprises: a central table used for meetings and dining, an equipped kitchen without piped water, a military tent designated as an office with a cold store and freezer, and a pre-fabricated house equipped with 16 bunk beds and several mattresses.
- Nearby there is a WC and a freshwater well to draw water from. The water can be transported in buckets to cubicles. The hybrid wind and solar energy source is limited, hence a rota will be established for charging mobile phones.
- With respect to food, the chef will provide 2 meals per day. There is a healthy and balanced menu consisting of rice, pasta, fresh fish, chicken, vegetables and pulses. Participants will have access to the pantry which contains foodstuffs such as eggs, tins and bread for breakfast.
Project costs
Volunteers make a donation to BIOS CV.
12 euros/day
(*) Intermediary’s fee: 250$ Includes:
- Useful contacts
- Assistance with documentation (visa, invitations…)
- Assistance with flights
- Information on projects: BIOS CV project, transport, security and health.
What does the cost include?
- Pick-up from the airport. Someone from the organisation will wait for you at the customs exit for the transfer to the camp.
- 2 meals per day made by a chef. You will have to make your own breakfast but everything you need will be provided.
- Volunteer orientation.
- Advice on EVERYTHING, with emphasis on the most important aspects of a journey such as flights, vaccinations and visas. You will be able to contact us at any time during your stay so that any problem can be resolved.
It does not include:
- Visa. MANDATORY.
- Flight tickets.
- International medical insurance. MANDATORY.
Gallery
What do our customers say about us?
“I went as a volunteer with my university friends and it was the best decision I could have taken. I learnt a lot about nature but it was also very satisfying as a personal challenge”
Alicia Muñoz Colacios
“I had always wanted to visit Africa and live in a camp with Cape Verdeans…I look back on it as though it were a dream, rarely in my life have I been so happy”
Laura Sevillano López
“The work was sometimes hard but it was ALWAYS worth it when you saw the baby turtles enter the water. The work of BIOS CV is wonderful and it is a privilege to have been part of it”
Paula Carrión de Sola
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