WHAT DOES THE PROJECT DO?
Although Belize is distinguished from its neighbours in being the only country in the region with a British colonial heritage, it also has strong ties to Latin America as well as to the Caribbean. With one foot firmly planted in lush interior forests and another foot in the laidback and colourful Caribbean Sea, Belize’s animal and plant life are the stars of the country, thanks to conservation efforts from national and international bodies.
The Belizean government is now working with national management partners and international conservation and aid agencies to protect the county’s invaluable biodiversity. Co-management partners work alongside the Belizean Ministry of Forestry, Fisheries and Sustainable Development with long term aims to protect and conserve key marine and terrestrial hotspots. This is achieved through local conservation awareness, scientific monitoring & research, community support programs and implementation of protected areas co-management plans, and Frontier volunteers are an integral part of this effort.
Record marine biodiversity
To aid decision making and implement protected areas co-management plans, co-partners in Belize require long-term environmental monitoring to be in place to meet both national and international protocols, and for the establishment of more detailed research projects that can provide vital baseline data.
Through marine SCUBA and snorkel surveys you will survey fish, benthic and commercially important invertebrate species using a number of common methodologies currently used in Belize plus taking part in simple community level assessments of these environments. Diving under the supervision of a lead scuba diver, you will become confident and comfortable underwater. Your results will determine the sheer biodiversity of these waters and help formulate long term, sustainable management plans to protect this sensational caye.
Other activities include surveying mangroves, a vital buffer against storm surges caused by cyclones, and an important part of the coastal ecosystem, opportunistic sightings of manateesand cetaceans, beach clean ups, forest restoration work and monthly surveys of conch and lobster.
Belizean culture & communities
Working alongside the Belizean people will give you an insight into their colourful and laidback culture. Community work may include environmental education in local schools to explain Frontier's work, and interviewing local communities on their awareness and knowledge of the local marine reserves, particularly with regards to boundaries, zones and rules and the levels of involvement of local stakeholders in decision-making.
WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
Soak up the chilled out, Caribbean atmosphere of Belize whilst taking part in a long term and sustainable marine research and conservation programme. The Frontier Belize programme is run in association with the Belize Fisheries Department, and this research and conservation project aims to provide the local communities, stakeholders and government bodies with the baseline biodiversity data they need to design and implement management plans for the future protection of this pristine marine ecosystem.
To gather the data needed you will undertake rapid sampling diving and snorkel surveys, underwater line and belt transects (weather permitting for all diving), mangrove surveys and opportunistic mammal sightings with one day off each week. Your activities will involve locating and mapping the extensive, pristine coral reefs and studying the various communities existing on them. The number of dives completed each week on the project depend on the quarterly science plan and itinerary as set by the Frontier field staff. If you require dive training, this is available in-country upon your arrival at the Frontier camp.
Whilst diving and snorkelling in this Caribbean odyssey, you'll see an extraordinary array of animals from colourful reef fish species to nudibranchs, sea cucumbers to cushion stars and spiny urchins to octopuses. By the end of your project you will be capable of identifying a wide range of colourful and patterned reef organisms, as well as being an experienced and competent diver. Although the work is intense and challenging you'll get immense satisfaction from having made a valuable contribution to the conservation of this marine environment.
Volunteers who join the project for less than 4 weeks may not be able to participate in the full range of project activities and surveys, but will still be able to make a valuable contribution to the work. You will return home with vast numbers of photos, lots of new friends, a wealth of fascinating stories and extraordinary memories.
You'll find your team to be a fun, dynamic mix of ages and experiences, with members who all share a passion about travelling in developing countries and conserving nature. Your staff will be a friendly and welcoming group who are highly experienced in their research field and many of whom will have been Frontier volunteers at an earlier stage in their career.
7:00 a.m. – Breakfast at the volunteer house, prepared by the volunteers!
8:30 a.m. – Volunteers leave camp by boat for dive training, or science training at the volunteer house
12:30 p.m. – Volunteers break for a packed lunch (lunch prepared by volunteers when at the volunteer house)
2:00 p.m. - Volunteer work at the volunteer house for the afternoon (beach cleanups, camp maintenance, science training, snorkeling)
5:00 p.m. – The working day comes to an end. Volunteers are free to catch up on anything, plan for the next day’s work and socialise.
6:00 p.m. – Dinner at the Volunteer house prepared by volunteers!
7:00 p.m. - Socialising… party on a Saturday!
*This itinerary should only be considered as an example of the kind of activities and timescales to expect. Actual itineraries may vary depending on the season and the requirements of the project.
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