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Costa Rica Conservation Short term Internship (Directory Program)

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  • Locations: Tortuguero, Costa Rica
  • Program Terms: Academic Year, Calendar Year, Fall, J-Term, Jan Term, Janterm, May Term, Semester, Spring, Summer, Summer I, Summer II, Summer III, Summer IV, Trimester, Winter
  • Homepage: Click to visit
  • Program Sponsor: GVI 
Fact Sheet:
Fact Sheet:
Click here for a definition of this term Language of Instruction: English Housing Options: Dormitory, Hostel/Hotel, Other
Click here for a definition of this term Areas of Study: Animal Science, Environmental Studies, Internships, Service Internship, Service Learning, Veterinary Science, Zoology Program Type: Field Study, Internship Abroad, Study Abroad, Volunteer Abroad, Work Abroad
Click here for a definition of this term Program: Direct
Program Description:
Costa Rica Conservation Internship (Short Term, 4-12 weeks)
Kickstart your career in conservation by spending three months gaining work experience in a lush Costa Rica rainforest.This expedition is the essence of remote adventure. Live in the heart of the jungle surrounded by the natural beauty of Tortuguero’s rainforest-lined Caribbean beaches. Hike the jungle trails conducting biodiversity surveys, walk along the beach looking for evidence of sea turtles during turtle nesting season, check camera traps for footage of jaguars, and explore the rainforest canals noting important aquatic bird species.
Jalova turtle cover
Program Focus
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. 

An Emergency First Aid program is also included to prepare you for the realities of conservation work in the wild. 

Due to the fact you will work in a national park, you will need 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. 

Jalova rainforest
Location
Jalova is in the stunning Tortuguero National Park, surrounded on three sides by protected rainforest and on the other by the Caribbean Sea and a beach that is home to one of the largest nesting colonies of Green Turtles in the world, is where you will find our conservation base. Our work here is focused around the long-term management and conservation of this stunning rainforest.

Program Highlights
  • Earn your GVI ILM Leadership Development certificate, a qualification recognised by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM).
  • Observe Costa Rican wildlife species in their natural habitats, including sea turtles on the Carribean beach, and monkeys, neo-tropical birds, and amphibians in the caponies 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.
  • If staying 8 weeks or longer you will complete your Biological Survey Techniques training and qualification.
  • 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.
If applying for this program to obtain credit from an institution, GVI can supply learning outcomes and support in the application.

For more information, check out our video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4qmobcmXhg&list=PLtWDzA5QXtO857t6vG3vMbjPJ6WUCwEkE