Description

Expedition Summary
Join Earthwatch to explore the fascinating world of caterpillars to see how they protect themselves and respond to changes in their habitats.

Expedition Details
Assisting members of Principal Investigator Dr. Lee Dyer's research team, you'll collect caterpillar species and their host plants, identify and observe them in the lab, and analyze plant and caterpillar toxins. Dyer and his staff will teach you all these tasks, giving you the opportunity to learn about ecological dynamics at their most intimate level. In your recreational time, you might play your Costa Rican hosts in a lively game of soccer or volleyball, or take a walk and see some of the area's other inhabitants - such as monkeys, sloths, parrots, and peccaries.

Meals and Accommodations
You'll split your time between the comfortable and contemporary La Selva Biological Station and the more rustic Tirimbina Rainforest Center. At La Selva, you'll enjoy typical Latin American meals, bunk beds, electricity, and hot showers at a modern research facility complete with free internet access and washers and dryers. You may also have the opportunity to meet other researchers based at the station and to learn about a variety of exciting projects.

Tirimbina is a smaller research center, with solar powered cabins deep within the forest. Here, youll bond with teammates over shared cooking duties and can take dips in a nearby swimming hole during recreational time.

About the Research Area
Costa Rica is a peaceful democratic republic in Central America, directly north of Panama and south of Nicaragua. The country is split by a ridge of mountains, with four distinct cordilleras or mountain ranges and several dozen volcanoes, seven of which are still active. Biodiversity is very high in Costa Rica and habitats are quite varied, including tropical dry forests, lowland wet forests, montane rainforests, and alpine vegetation.

La Selva and Tirimbina are located in the Caribbean lowlands of Costa Rica near the town of Puerto Viejo de Sarapiqui in Heredia province. The area is at the confluence of two rivers, Rio Sarapiqui and Rio Puerto Viejo. La Selva is composed of primary forest, secondary forest, and abandoned plantations. Tirimbina is just 840 acres in area but has been declared a Costa Rican National Wildlife Refuge and has primary and secondary forest as well as abandoned pasture and cacao plantations.

Like the rest of Costa Rica, biological diversity is very high at the reserves. This diversity includes thousands of species of insects, over 2,000 species of plants, and hundreds of species of birds and mammals. During a typical walk in the area, youll see peccaries, coatis, sloths, monkeys, toucans, parrots, and at least a dozen species of butterflies. The 300 species of caterpillars the project works with are only a fraction of the estimated 5,000 species that occur at La Selva (about 4,500 moth species and 500 butterfly species).

Highlights

Caterpillars have developed an impressive repertoire of defenses to protect themselves from predators and parasites. Some eat plant toxins to keep parasites off, others bungee-jump out of harm's way. Understanding why one caterpillar is a diner and the other is dinner is an important part of learning how to conserve forests and other habitats. Working in one of the world's richest tropical rainforests, you can help sort out the tangle of offense and defense in Costa Rica.

Travel Types

• Eco Tours
• Environmental Studies
• Photography
• Tours
• Volunteering

Qualifications

No experience is necessary  all you will need is enthusiasm and the desire to make a difference. For over 40 years Earthwatch Institute has pioneered the involvement of ordinary people in peer-reviewed scientific research worldwide. By joining an Earthwatch Expedition, you have a unique opportunity to get up-close and personal with some of the worlds rarest animals and visit remote and beautiful locations, while directly supporting conservation science. We offer life enhancing experiences in nearly 50 countries each year, with projects for teens, adults, and families.

Languages

• English

Cost in US$:

2,495

Cost Includes:

• Emergency evacuation services
• Excursions
• Food
• Housing
• In-country orientation/Training
• In-country staff support
• Medical insurance
• Medical services
• Pre-departure orientation/Training
• Registration fees
• Written materials abroad
• Written materials pre-departure

Program Fees Include:

Our volunteers not only contribute essential funds that help to cover the cost of the research, but also, through their inspiration and effort, they provide the people power without which many of our vital projects simply couldnt take place. We are a non-profit organization but accommodation, meals, insurance, training and transport in the field are also included in your contribution cost. As a non-profit organization that supports scientific research, your contribution and airfare costs are usually tax-deductible for U.S. citizens.

Experience Required

no

Volunteer Types

Typical Volunteer

Earthwatch expeditions appeal to a variety of people, including students, retirees, families, educators, and anyone seeking an exciting journey that enables them to give back to the environment. Our expeditions have a wide range of activity levels, from hiking intensive to easy expeditions with limited physical activity. There is an Earthwatch expedition out there for everyone!

Age Range

Adult (age 18-90) teams available.

This Program is open to

Worldwide, American, Asian, Australian, Canadian, European, Kiwi and South African Participants. This Program is also open to Families, Couples and Individuals.

Typical Living Arrangements

• Group living
• Apartment/Flat

Participants Travel

Independently

Typically Participants Work

in Groups of 6-14

Scholarships are Available

Very limited fellowships may be available, mainly for high-school students and educators. Visit our website for more information.

Application Process Involves

• Other
• Phone/Video Interview
• Physical Exam/Health Records
• Written Application

Typically The Application Process Time is

Brief

Post Services Include

• Alumni Network

Earthwatch Institute's Mission Statement

Our mission is to inspire connections between people and the environment by engaging them in worldwide scientific field research and education. These efforts will promote the understanding and action necessary for a sustainable environment. Earthwatch enables scientists to pursue research goals and members of the public to gain hands-on experience with science. We believe it is essential that people participate in solving the environmental challenges we face.

Year Founded

1971