Biological Research Volunteering in Mexico

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Come explore Pez Maya, home to a conservation site aimed at protecting the local coastal marine species and their coral reef homes, while also studying their populations. Participants will assist researchers in conserving a portion of the Mesoamerican Reef, which faces increased problems due to development in the nearby cities of Playa del Carmen and Cancun. Volunteers will help with long term goals to ensure the area will remain protected. Through education of the community and gaining specific knowledge on the functioning and elements of the ecosystem, participants will be better able to understand the biodiversity. The project will be split into two portions. Participants will be trained for the first three weeks on diving in order to obtain PADI certification for open water, study local specimen, and learn techniques for data collection. After this, volunteers will begin to directly assist with monitoring and researching including cleaning beaches, collecting information on coral and fish, helping with tasks such as chores and equipment prep, and reaching out to local people through education.

Find out why more and more people are choosing to become a Love Volunteer! Love Volunteers is the most affordable way to volunteer and help local communities in developing countries! Why are we cheaper than other organisations? Firstly, we are just a handful of passionate people working hard to help volunteers and local communities around the world. We don't have huge overheads - no company cars, no downtown office - we're just volunteers who knew we could do a better job. Secondly, we work with local organisations wherever we can to keep administration costs to a minimum and also to feed as much money and skills into the local communities where we operate. All of Love Volunteers partner organisations have been fully vetted to ensure that, not only does a genuine need for assistance exist, but that the environments that we place our volunteers are safe and of high quality. Choose from one or more of our 200+ amazing community-based programs in 37 developing countries around the world. Every program has been personally visited by one of our dedicated staff members and is regularly audited to ensure it meets our high standards in terms of safety, sustainability, and local impact.

Earn your PADI divers and coral reef research qualifications as you assist in preserving local ecosystems, coral reefs, and endangered species as well as join initiatives for ocean floor and beach waste collection efforts. You’ll be supporting the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) while having the opportunity to dive into the Mesoamerican Barrier Reef System, one of the largest coral reefs in the world. Collaborate with GVI staff and local organizations to assist with reef recovery efforts as you grow coral in laboratories to transplant onto the reef. You’ll also engage in marine waste management and data collection efforts to ensure ocean floors and beaches are clear of plastic pollution. At the same time, assist to preserve the endangered hawksbill sea turtle relying on local beach fronts for nesting. In this expedition, you’ll live alongside local community members and volunteer with like-minded international participants. Learn about different cultures and languages and taste traditional cuisines in the port city of Puerto Morelos.

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The Mexico project has both marine and terrestrial components, being based in either Akumal Bay or the Calakmul biosphere reserve. The Calakmul projects focus on assessing the reserve's biodiversity by surveying a number of key groups – butterflies and moths, reptiles, amphibians, birds, bats, and large mammals. Volunteers can get involved with each of these surveys while based at a site near an ancient Mayan city. The marine project at Akumal involves work on turtle populations, coral restoration, and mangrove mapping. Operation Wallacea is a research and environmental organization working alongside university and college academics to build long-term data sets to put toward various conservation management goals. We recruit volunteers to help out with data collection, training them in the skills and background needed to help effectively. There's also the option to complete dissertations or senior theses at our sites.