Become a marine conservation volunteer on the island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean and take part in a coral reef monitoring volunteer programme.  Volunteers will have the opportunity to carry out lagoon monitoring (coral reef and fish), beach cleaning, mangrove planting and monitoring and also working in local community projects on various environmental volunteer projects.

You can volunteer in Mauritius for between 1 week and 12 weeks in duration, and we have places available throughout 2013 and 2014.

Individuals, groups and students are all welcome.

_{Cost for accommodation, snorkelling equipment, programme materials and training starts from £380.}

The Project

Marine conservation volunteers will work alongside a Mauritian Non Governmental Organisation whose objectives are to preserve the natural resources from the threat of pollution and destruction due to inconsiderate development and lack of awareness on the island of Mauritius.  The Blue Lagoon and Coral Reef Monitoring programme focuses on the protection, preservation and restoration of the marine and coastal environment for the region of Blue Bay and Pointe d’Esny, Mauritius.

Volunteer Programme

Volunteers are involved in the monitoring of the reef in the Blue Bay Marine Park and in the Pointe d'Esney Lagoon. The range of projects include:

• Lagoon Monitoring (coral and fish monitoring and recording all human activities which take place within the lagoon);
• Beach and Mangrove Cleaning and Monitoring;
• Providing a number of actions to build local community support (questionnaire survey, events, in-school  lessons for children).

Lagoon Monitoring - involves fish, coral and anthropogenic activity surveys being conducted. We aim to be out on the water most days collecting the valuable data required to try and understand what is happening in the lagoon. This will allow us to inform the local community on the state of their most precious resource, upon which many of them heavily depend.

Mangrove Cleaning -  Mangroves protect land against flooding and help to prevent shoreline erosion. Since coral reefs thrive in nutrient-poor waters and mangroves thrive in nutrient-rich waters, mangroves also improve the water quality by purifying the water from wastes and pollutants. Waste is being dumped in the mangroves forest which prevents them from breathing through their roots.  So volunteers are involved in both mangrove cleaning and mangrove planting.

What skills and experience will volunteers gain?

Volunteers can enhance their marine based knowledge through taking part in this programme.  The programme aims to: 

• Provide volunteers with a sound understanding of the marine ecosystem
• Enable volunteers to identify various coral, fish and benthic species distributed around the oceans of Mauritius. Training will be given through various theoretical and practical workshops.
• Investigate current anthropogenic issues that impact the ecosystem of corals reefs both globally and within the local area of Blue Bay and Mauritius. The programme will then look at current conservation strategies, which can used to manage and control the addressed issues.
• Enable volunteers to implement up to date research, through the practical application of current methodologies, which assess both fish and benthic abundance. These methodologies will be applied using both snorkeling and scuba diving techniques.

Volunteers should aim to join for a minimum of 2 weeks after which time you will gain both a theoretical and practical understanding of the marine environment, be able to implement research methodologies, and gain a further appreciation for current anthropogenic issues influencing the reefs around the Blue Bay Marine Park area. The skills acquired during the programme can then be used to further enhance a volunteer’s academic achievements in marine conservation.

Area of study

The main area of study will take place within both the Blue Bay Marine Park and the Pointe d’Esny Lagoon. Both areas offer an exciting array of marine species, with as many as 38 species of coral and 72 species of fish been identified within the marine park. However, decades of neglect from illegal fishing, destructive fishing methods, high amounts of tourism and pollutant run off has put increased pressure on the coral reefs around Mauritius. We need your help in aiding the recovery and sustainability of these beautiful reefs.

For more details about pricing, travel durations, dates, lodging and how to join, please visit our project page here.