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Sea Turtle & Coastal Ecology Conservation Volunteering in Mexico
Our Conservation & Environment Project in Mexico is based on the Pacific coast at Campemento Tecoman in the state of Colima. This research centre is a three hour drive from our main office and base in Guadalajara.
The camp is a unique location for volunteering abroad. It offers you the chance to work alongside a group of Projects Abroad volunteers and staff, as well as local experts on a variety of conservation and environmental projects.
Three main conservation projects make up our Coastal Ecology Project in Mexico programme, and run throughout the year:
"During my overseas voluntary work placement in Mexico I patrolled the beach, released turtles and collected thousands of turtle eggs so they could hatch. I was completely in charge of writing up the collection sheets into the record book. For me, the most memorable experience was seeing the baby turtles emerge from the sand and arrive safely in the ocean. This meant our hard work volunteering overseas had been a success."
Helena Carey - Coastal Ecology Project Volunteer
Volunteer Coastal Ecology in Mexico: Turtle Conservation
The Olive Ridley sea-turtle breeds on the Pacific coast of Mexico. It has become an endangered species due to human activities such as trawler-fishing, poaching and coastal development. This, coupled with the fact that turtle eggs are still considered a delicacy and even an aphrodisiac in Mexico, creates a very hostile environment for these creatures.
Volunteers are involved in patrolling a 30km stretch of beach on foot and by quad-bike. You'll work mainly at night - when the turtles lay their eggs - alongside a member of our local staff and will be looking out for any adult turtles on the beach, or any distinctive recent turtle tracks which indicate that eggs have just been laid. We then collect the eggs and return with them to a safe area near our camp, called a 'corral'. Here you re-bury the eggs at exactly the same depth as the turtle would bury them.
Some nights you will be on shift at the corral, watching the nests that were buried about six weeks earlier. The experience of then watching the tiny hatchlings as they crawl out of the nest, and protecting them as they head for the ocean, is incredible.
There are turtles all year round in Central America, but the high season is from May to December. However, we are finding increasing numbers of rarer turtle species, such as Green Turtles and the gigantic Leatherback Turtles nesting on the beach in all seasons.
The camp is also home to a small number of turtles kept in tank, who have been found injured by staff and volunteers in the past. Volunteers help to clean the tanks and feed and look after the turtles.
Volunteer Coastal Ecology in Mexico: Crocodile Conservation
The crocodile conservation element of our project has been running for over three years now. We work with two endangered species of crocodile, the American Crocodile - Crocodylus Acutus - and the smaller Morelet's Crocodile - Crocodylus Moreletii. Our aim is to create a crocodile-release programme; to re-introduce these endangered species to the local area. Within the last year we have proudly bred several offspring that are now waiting for the permits to be released.
The crocodile park is located about twenty minutes from our main camp and is currently home to several pools of baby crocodiles. Volunteers are involved in a variety of work, including helping to prepare food for the crocodiles, taking biometric data and marking the crocodiles in the nearby lagoons in order to have a better understanding of the populations in the area. We have also conducted a population census of the number of wild crocodiles that inhabit the lagoon next to the crocodile park.
Volunteers continue to help improve the current crocodile park site, assisting with painting and maintenance. Research is also undertaken into the location and monitoring of crocodile nesting sites. Volunteers are also working on a catalogue of the bird species in the local area.
Please note that we work with local crocodile experts and a vet; volunteers are not in direct contact with any adult crocodiles themselves!
Since Projects Abroad volunteers have been working at the crocodile farm it has attracted increased government funding and additional interest from other relevant authorities in the area.
Volunteer Coastal Ecology in Mexico: Lagoon Bio-diversity Research
Directly inland from the beach and our camp is a large lagoon and wilderness area home to a variety of wildlife, including mammals, reptiles and birds. The lagoon is called El Chupadero. Projects Abroad volunteers are conducting biodiversity studies into the lagoon ecosystem, recording and monitoring the wildlife in this area. The aim has been to discover the ecological value of the lagoon for future preservation of this delicate environment. We are also involved with more advanced wildlife behaviour studies.
Volunteers are taught how to identify birds, reptiles and mammals, and regularly go out on the lagoon by boat to gather data and conduct studies of the local wildlife. Information is recorded on data sheets and then entered into a computer database back at the camp.
Following several years of data collection by the volunteers the area was declared a Ramsar site in March 2009. A Ramsar site is awarded by the Ramsar Convention or the Convention on Wetlands who recognize wetlands as ecosystems that are extremely important for biodiversity conservation and for the well-being of human communities. This is one of the most important titles a protected area can receive and it is testament to the hard work and effort put into this aspect of the conservation project.
We are now focusing on more detailed studies in conjunction with local biologists and zoologists that will provide more specific information on species behaviour and seasonal species.
From time to time we show local school children around our camp, and explain the importance of our conservation work to them. The children get the chance to see a variety of turtle species and learn more about their environment. Such activities make the whole experience really memorable for everyone involved.
Volunteer Coastal Ecology in Mexico: Life and Experiences
While volunteering abroad in Mexico on the Projects Abroad Conservation & Environment Project, you'll live in a tented camp on the edge of the beach with other volunteers and local staff. The camp has a central concrete building with clean toilets and showers, a kitchen, a work area and a simple shelter over the tents. It will soon feel like home!
Food is provided by a local cook, with a late lunch being the main meal of the day; it's a great time to discuss the previous night's work. There is a weekly work roster and this includes taking your turn at doing the washing up and sweeping the camp - there are all sorts of aspects to overseas voluntary work! You'll also have time to relax or read, and many volunteers invest in one of Mexico's best inventions - the hammock!
"Mexico has so much to offer, to all ranges of visitors, and will always remain particularly special to me, especially the Conservation project site. I really did have the time of my life and learnt a lot, ranging from how to spot a turtle's nest, and also a bit of Spanish, to quite different things, such as independence, how to adapt to whole new situations, and that I actually can cope with challenges I wasn't sure I could.
"I met a wide range of people, all of which quickly became my friends, and all the staff at Projects Abroad were always constantly friendly, and lots of fun! Mexico, and the Conservation Project brought out the best in me, and my time there gave me some invaluable life experience that I will never forget!"
Sophie Woodard - Coastal Ecology Volunteer
"I wasn't sure what to expect from the turtle camp out in the middle of nowhere, but as time went by I fell in love with it more and more each day. Words do no justice to the views and scenery out there, one of the most beautiful places I've ever been.
"Watching a turtle lay its eggs, let alone incubating them and seeing them hatch, before watching them return into the ocean is one of the most amazing things I've ever done. It's one of those things you see on TV at home, and think to yourself, "Wow, it'd be cool to be there." In truth, it's more than cool. I've learned more about turtles than I thought there was to know about them, and I'm left in awe at the continuing struggle of an endangered species. Coming here has taught me so much, not only in life experience, but also shown me why respect for nature is not only important, but necessary.
"I hope that if you choose to come to Mexico, you'll have as wonderful a time as I have."
Jim "Jaimito" Kelly - Coastal Ecology Volunteer
This project is available for two weeks if you don't have time to join us for a month or more. This project has been selected by our local colleagues as being suitable for short term volunteering for both the host community and the volunteer. Although you will gain a valuable cultural insight and work intensely on a variety of conservation activities please be aware that you may not be able to make the same impact as someone volunteering for a longer period. The amount of turtles that you see may also be limited, especially during the low season between December and April.
All volunteers on Teaching, Care, Culture & Community, Medicine & Healthcare, Journalism, Animal Care or Spanish placements in Mexico now have the opportunity to add a 7-Day Conservation Project to the end of their main placement.
For more information visit our 7-Day Mexico Conservation Project page.
Volunteers who take part in the Conservation & Environment placement may also like to combine this with some time on the Animal Care project in Mexico. Here you will work in an animal rescue centre in Guadalajara. We simply ask that you work a minimum of one month on each project.
For more information visit our Volunteer Animal Care in Mexico Project page.
