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Description

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Description

IPBio conducts research on amphibian ethology, embryology and chytrid fungus that attacks frogs. Volunteers accompany the development of tadpoles and frogs in captivity in the lab. This role is not always active as it is project based so depends on if research projects are coming to an end or new ones are starting. Moreover, even when active, the amount of work hours the role will occupy can vary substantially depending on the needs at the time. Therefore, amphibian researcher applicants are also applying for the eco-volunteer role and depending on the needs at the time they may work fully as an eco-volunteer or be placed into running amphibian projects.

Time Commitment

A minimum of two weeks although usually we only accept long applicants

Active Periods

All year round

Activities

Work and Activities Description

There are approximately 105 species of bioluminescent mushrooms in the world and Iporanga holds 26 species making it the region with the highest concentration of bioluminescent mushrooms in the world. IPBio wishes to develop a protocol that allows us to grow them in the lab under controlled conditions. Our cultivation program conducts experiments on: substrate compositions, sterilisation method, inoculation method, and fruiting techniques to optimise the process of cultivation. IPBio also maintains a culture bank, searches for new species and more.

Typical Day

  • 9am meeting
  • Collect tadpoles from the pond
  • Weight and measure them inputting data in excel
  • Photographing their mouth structure as this can indicate infection of Bd
  • Saving photos
  • Releasing tadpoles back into pond


Free Time Activities

Caves: Iporanga is called “The Cave Capital of Brazil” with over 400 caves in the town. Below are just the highlights.

  • Casa da Pedra is the world’s largest cave entrance of 215 meters. The trip involves a 2-hour hike to the opening where there is a place to sit down and have a picnic and swim and then a hike back.
  • Temimina Cave has a large opening in the ceiling illuminating its oddly shaped diagonal garden. Then you enter into a dark cave where at the end you find a natural shower hole.
  • Nucleo Santana is a group of caves and is the most commonly visited as it has a wide range of different types of caves. In some caves you can swim.
  • Tubing/Boia Cross: is a sport where by you get on a big balloon and float down the river. There are various waterways you can do in Iporanga, some more radical and some in the big river which is very relaxing and can last 3 hours.
  • Cananeia: has various islands with dolphins swimming in between which are very easy to visualize. It is also known for its stunning beaches, awesome boat tours, great restaurants and the mangrove reserve where there are many crabs.
  • Waterfalls: Iporanga has many waterfalls. “Sem Fim” is a small waterfall walking distance from the reserve. “Vale das Ostras” has 12 large waterfalls in a row. - Quilombos: during the era of slavery many slaves would run away from the plantations and create settlements hidden in the forest. These communities live in relative isolation and you can visit their small towns. For some of the Quilombos the tours include travelling their by boat and having a traditional lunch at one of the families homes.

Social Events:

  • Dinners: there are many nice restaurants were volunteers can have dinner, some more classy like Casarao and some with traditional Brazilian food. There is also a great fish restaurant. Often volunteer will eat out on the weekends.
  • Town Parties: the are a couple of bars in town, some have pool tables and some have dancing areas. On holidays, there are usually town festivals on the streets.
  • BBQ: it is very common to have a BBQ on the weekend which is often accompanied with the traditional Brazilian drink called Caipirinha.

Interview

Accommodation

Accommodation Options

Private rooms, shared rooms in a volunteer house

Accommodation Description

Description: Volunteers will stay at the Darwin Guest House, situated on the reserve itself, which accommodates up to 12 people in 8 rooms. Two rooms are collective rooms and 6 rooms are single rooms. All rooms have air conditioning or a fan, closet space and electricity outlets. Individual rooms have a desk with a chair. The house has 3 bathrooms with hot showers, a washing machine and has a fully equipped kitchen where volunteers can cook. A cleaning lady provides basic cleaning services for public areas and will provide fresh bed linen once a week. However, it is also the volunteer’s responsibility to maintain and clean the house; we take this very seriously. Volunteers work from 9am to 3pm during week days with an hour lunch break. Shops are located in the town of Iporanga 6km away from the reserve, which you can walk to or get a taxi, where there are various shops with all you will need. There is a small organic herb patch you can use and the gardener distributes vegetables when they are ripe.

Facilities

lab, volunteer house, greenhouse, aquarium, deck by the river where you can swim, 7 trails and lots more

Facilities Description

  • Laboratory equipped with magnifying glasses and stereoscopic microscopes that capture digital images, laminar flow chambers, incubators, autoclaves, freezers and workbenches.
  • Aquarium installed in an artificial lake of 500m2 with five aquatic environments that can be observed though underground tunnels with windows. - Greenhouse with amphibians and bromeliad that houses native flora, waterfalls and marsh environments.
  • Dark room where one can observe the curious phenomenon of bioluminescence in fungi from the region.
  • Classroom, which seats 50 people for lectures, technical courses and multimedia projections. - Dining area that can accommodate groups up to 60 people or be used for exhibitions.
  • Seven research trails through the forest where observations of native species are made.
  • Six pitfall sites, each containing 5 pitfalls (used to collect amphibians, reptiles and small mammals), distributed around the reserve.
  • OBBIO – The Observatory for Biodiversity is a network of video cameras that record the fauna and flora 24 hours a day, generating films and content for use in research and education.
  • 3 Bushnell Camera Traps for photographing and filming mammal in HD
  • motion/temperature sensor, infrared, programming options, LED lights.
  • 5 GoPro cameras with 2 subaquatic cases.
  • 2 bioacoustics “Song Meter SM4” recorders from Wildlife Acoustics with software for data analysis.
  • Database with over 5000 images taken in natural habitats of each species. - Release Center with enclosures for the birds.

Staff

9 staff members - manager, biologists, release centre coordinator, volunteer coordinators, cleaner, reserve keeper

Security

House with locks, security camera etc. Although we are in rural Brazil where crime rates are low.

Food & Drink

Volunteer will cook and clean for themselves.

Internet Access

Yes - good enough that I can regularly do skype interviews. Not good enough to download movies.

Phone Signal

Yes - complete cell phone coverage

Nearest Facilities

There is a small town called Iporanga 6km away from the reserve with shops, emergency hospital etc.

Airport Pickup

Details of how to get here explained in the volunteer package

Requirements

Language Requirements

Either English or Portuguese at a high level, Spanish can work also

Document Requirements

Nationality Requirements

Qualification Requirements

No - best pick out of applicants

Medical Requirements

Other Requirements

Over 18

Recommended Gear

Full list of what to bring in the volunteer package

Included Services

Before Journey Services / Support

  • Interview and conversation
  • Volunteer Package will all information needed

On-Site Support

  • Daily meetings
  • Training for research projects
  • Coordination during activities
  • Support for organising tourism activities for weekends

Pricing

Pricing Breakdown

Volunteers at IPBio are required to pay 650 reais per week (please check up-to-date exchange rate in your currency). This fee covers the volunteer’s accommodation, internet access and project costs for the specific dates agreed upon. Volunteers are also responsible for paying for any extra costs such as travel costs, visa costs etc. A volunteer only confirms their placement once their payment is made. Once a volunteer makes their payment there is no refund if they decide to cancel for whatever reason. We will provide you with specific payment options by email.

The currency in Brazil is the Real. There is an ATM machine in Iporanga which accepts Visa Credit/Debit cards. ATMs give a better exchange rate than Exchange Houses. Check with your bank to see if your cards will work in Brazil, and tell your credit card company that you will be traveling overseas. Exchange some money prior to arriving in Brazil. The amount of money you want to bring is really up to you. Volunteers are responsible for purchasing products for the house such as garbage bags, cleaning products and toilet supplies. Volunteers are also responsible for buying their own food and cooking for themselves. On average a volunteer spends 450-1000 reais a month on total although of course this varies on your lifestyle choices. This covers living costs such as food, drinks, transportation and house supplies. On the high end of 1000 reais you would be going out for dinner regularly and doing various weekend activities but this is up to each volunteer hence we put a price range. Dinner out (without drinks) ranges from 15 to 30 reais. Cost of tours (including a guide, equipment and entrance fee costs around 110 to 140 reais depending on how many volunteers go.

Not Included in Price

Volunteers are also responsible for paying for any extra costs such as living costs, travel costs, visa costs etc.

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