What attracted you IPBio?
Simply put I would say, bioluminescent mushrooms, the long term goal of creating 5 research centers, and although it sounds boring, “organization”. The bioluminescent mushroom program makes IPBio truly unique. Our little town of Iporanga holds approximately 25% of the world's glowing mushrooms. There is so much more research that needs to be done in this field and so many ways to apply the research. From simply finding new species which was a major success in 2017 when a volunteer found 7 new species of glowing mushrooms, to developing our local communities tourism sector by attracting visitor to our town with a museum of bioluminescence. And who knows if we find medical, energy or other interesting uses that come from our fundamental research on these mushrooms. As an economist/political scientist, I always look for the social impact our research would have so while the biologists busy trying to understand the evolutionary emergence of bioluminescence. I fantasize about the ways we could apply the research to the benefit of society and our environment. Not to mention, after searching for these natural lanterns at night in the forest and arriving at a point where the entire floor was glowing green like in Avatar, I was hooked!
Imran with the volunteers having fun in the Greenhouse
The idea of expanding and creating an IPBio research center in each of the 5 major Brazilian biomes was very attractive to me. I always struggled internally over the decision to pursue high level policy and enact large yet unpredictable change, or whether I should pursue small scale change with clear benefits. However, at IPBio I believe that both can be achieved. In the IPBio - Atlantic Forest reserve I currently see the benefits of the research we conduct at a local level as well as certain larger discoveries that are of international significance. Yet IPBio´s plan to scale up their scientific operations by establishing reserves and research centers throughout Brazil appealed to the “larger vision” side of me. Multiple centers would allow for nation wide comparative studies, conservation efforts at a larger scale, and would facilitate international research projects.
Lastly, “organization”. I know it sounds dull but it is critical. In my travels I visited various organizations and I always saw the major deficiency as “organization”. They were often overworked, underpaid and this led to an administrative mess which didn't allow for effective action. IPBio moves fast. The founder is an extremely innovative person who loves to talk, but prefers to act, and this was very appealing to me who is very goal oriented. As in the few years I have been here, I have been given the support and tools to do what I believe is best at my own pace.
You studied economics and politics in college. How did you end up working with a scientific research and conservation company like IPBio?
Since I was a child I was always passionate about science, conservation, and biology. I marvelled at the enormity of the cosmos, reading Stephen Hawkings “A Brief History of Time”, I adored watching David Attenborough's “Planet Earth”, and was astonished by Darwin's description of the process selection that drove simplicity to complexity in the nature world. However, when I went to university I did not pursue the sciences as I believed that the humanities required more urgent attention with inequality rising and social unrest with politics systems mounting. It was a matter of pragmatism. However, with the growing awareness about climate change and its impact on our environment and consequently its impacts on humanity, it became clear that the pragmatic choice was to dedicate myself to environmental issues. I came to conclusion that scientific research was our greatest tool for conservation as it not only diagnosed the problems accurately but often provided the solutions. I travelled through South America to look for an NGO working on biological research related to conservation and on these travels I realised that my academic choice was my greatest asset to these organizations. Many research institutes were just barely surviving economically. Moreover, their employees were all biologists and although they do fantastic work, outside the scientific community, no one knew about their work. I saw the need for someone with my communications and economic background who had enough scientific knowledge to express conservations importance in a global social context that allowed non-scientist to connect and support. Then I found IPBio.
Imran holding a group meeting with volunteers
How have your previous work experiences helped you in your current role?
I believe my past experience as a volunteer at various organizations was very formative and probably the most informative for this interview. As a volunteer I learned what NOT TO DO when running a volunteer program. I did not have the best experiences as a volunteer myself to be quite honest. I either felt like a robot, unuseful or being ripped off. I wanted to volunteer, not to go on a holiday! I complained and complained because I felt I had a lot to offer but was not being given to tool to succeed. However, when I came to IPBio I was given the freedom and support to do what I thought was best. In the first 2 months at IPBio I managed to raise over $5,000 for a conservation education course for the local school kids and receive grant for bioacoustics equipment. IPBio immediately saw the benefit of having volunteers and I saw the difference I could make with the right team around me. Therefore, when I was tasked with setting up the formal volunteer program. I set it up with all this experience in mind. I wanted to create a program where the volunteer was serious about contributing to the conservation of the forest, and in an institution who knew how to harness the volunteers skills.
What kind of skills do you think are valuable when working for a company like IPBio?
The beauty of the volunteer program is that many different skills from different fields can be utilized at IPBio. Through the volunteer program we have worked with, and befriended, senior biology researchers on sabbatical, to fashion photographers, to electrical engineering students, to naval officers, and all of these people from different walks of life have managed to use their skills to support our projects. Therefore, specific skills are difficult to list.
What should volunteers know before joining an IPBio project?
I think it is important for volunteers to know that IPBio takes its work very seriously and we expect that volunteers do the same. At IPBio you will have tons of fun from experiencing a new culture, to exploring the forest, to participating in awesome weekend activities like caving or tubing down the river. You will make lifelong friendships, but what holds this all together is a joint understanding between the organization and the volunteer, and to know that the aim of your stay is to contribute to the preservation of the Atlantic Forest.
Imran finding bio-luminescent mushrooms with a volunteer
What is one thing you would like participants to take away from participating in an IPBio project?
Since the volunteer program begun we have received feedback from volunteers on this exact topic of what they took away, and I think they have said it best although I will expand.
The general feeling I have got is that many past volunteers prior to arriving thought of this opportunity as a one-off experience where they will temporarily get to pursue their true interest in life. Then they will have to get back to the real world. One thing that has stood out from the feedback from volunteers is that IPBio has made people question this instinct.
Many volunteers after leaving have taken 180 degree turns in their career paths as a result of their stay. Two have even come back to work as staff members. They all say that IPBio is eye opening as there is a fear that working (I don't mean volunteering anymore, I mean pursuing a career) in a foreign country in a field that they are truly passionate about will inevitably come at some great sacrifice to their lifestyle or lead to career uncertainty. And this is simply not true and I think I am a perfect example of this. I have always been relatively well off and I remember before leaving on my travels in search of a job in this area, I was almost paralyzed by fear that I was risking all the accolades that I had gained in life on this crazy adventure. But I live even better than I have ever before. I am 25 and living in a mansion with 2 cats in the middle of the forest where I wake up to work at a job that I am truly passionate about. Not to sound overly dramatic but my point is: use your experience at IPBio as a stepping stool to pursuing your dreams because often, we think that our dreams are impractical, unrealistic and hence unattainable. But often they are not.
What do you love most about your job?
The diversity of the role. As a volunteer coordinator, I simultaneously act as a project manager, as I need to understand all the projects that are going on at the reserve so I can train volunteers to participate in them. This means I have learned about a wide range of super interesting topics in biology which means my job never gets boring. Even the simple fact that my work space changes so often is such a pleasure as I am no longer confined to a cubicle. One day I am in the forest supporting the tree inventory, next day I am in the lab on the mushroom project. Moreover, I gained so many skills I never would have even thought of outside of biology. At IPBio, I learned how to do web design, direct documentaries, produce newsletters by learning how to do graphic design and so much more. I am a person who always likes to be learning and I love this job because it has made the acquisition of new skills my job!
Imran taking volunteers down the river tubing
What is your favorite IPBio memory/experience?
Ahhhh I think my capuchin monkey story is my favorite! It is relatively common for a volunteer to see monkeys during their stay, and I had made a big fuss to the volunteers as it entering into the monkeys peak activity period; so I had presumptuously promised them a sighting. Three weeks had gone by and no monkey was to be found. I was starting to look bad.
One day I was walking on one of the trails near the center and I heard some rustling from up above. It was getting closer and closer, louder and louder. It was a band 30+ capuchin monkeys and suddenly I was stuck in the middle of them as they had stopped to pick some fruits. I wanted to scream “MONKEYS!!! I TOLD YOU WE WOULD SEE MONKEYS!!!” to the volunteers but I would have scared them away. I managed to crawl to the center without snapping a branch in order not to scare them off. When I arrived all the volunteers were busy working, but as the area is quite large they were all distributed across the reserve on their independent projects. Time to run. I sprinted into the lab frantically shouting “MONKEYS”, then went to the aquarium still screaming and visited all the rest of the infrastructure until I had gathered all the volunteers. I was out of breath but I managed to explain that if they went to the trail they would see this group of monkeys. So we went off into the forest to search. Of course by the time we got there they had left the spot. I was so disappointed! As I apologized on the way back to the center, a fruit fell on the head of one of the volunteers and as we looked up there they were! The whole group had stopped just next to the center to eat some small coconuts and to give the show the volunteers were waiting for!
If you could give all IPBio students one piece of advice, what would it be?
Make the most of your volunteer trip! IPBio will provide you with a supportive and stimulating setting for personal and professional development but it is up to you to take the extra step and truly make this a fruitful life experience.
