Immediate volunteer openings: Mangrove Ecosystem Monitoring, SW Madagascar (May 20 - July 17 2014)

Honko Mangrove Conservation & Education, an NGO working with communities in SW Madagascar to promote community-based mangrove management, is looking for a volunteer to assist with our Mangrove Ecosystem Monitoring Program in Ambondrolava, SW Madagascar. This is an exciting opportunity to gain valuable field research experience while interacting with the communities of rural Madagascar.

Volunteers are trained in mangrove ecology and conduct basic field
ecology techniques throughout healthy, degraded, and reforested areas of the mangroves, collecting information on forest structure, dead organic material, and abiotic factors. This data informs Honko and the local mangrove management association on the changes occurring in the forest, which will be used in the development of new management plans. This is a great opportunity for anyone looking for field experience, an adventure, or looking to enter the field of conservation and sustainable development. Volunteers also have the opportunity (and are encouraged) to undertake independent research / community projects during their time at Honko based on their personal interests and career goals.

You can view our program brochure here:
http://honko.org/get-involved/volunteer.html

*About Ambondrolava and its mangroves:*
The mangrove forest at Ambondrolava covers 120 hectares, with an additional 13 hectares reforested by the local community with Honko. We are located just north of the city of Tulear (12km), and south of the Bay of Ranobe with its 32km long reef. Honko's site in Ambondrolava has 7 species of mangrove trees and 37 wetland birds (the highest recorded wetland bird diversity in this region), among other mangrove wildlife. The local communities in this area strongly depend on the mangrove for its wood and animal resources, but with rapid population growth in this region, there has been over-usage of the mangrove's resources and evident degradation. Within and around the mangrove there are many different habitat types ranging from protected forest, degraded forest, reforested land, reed beds, and abandoned salt pans.

*Volunteer Activities:*
Volunteer day-to-day activities will follow our ecosystem monitoring protocol, comprised of a range of basic forest survey techniques. Volunteers are trained on site in these techniques and the basics of mangrove ecology. You will spend most of your day in depths of the mangrove collecting data for this long-term research program, but when not in the forest, there will be many opportunities to assist with Honko's other projects and Honko strongly encouragesvolunteers to develop a secondary community project during their time here, in collaboration with the other on-site volunteers. We also ask that volunteerscontribute to our blog during their stay here.

*Desired Attributes:*
*       At least 1 year of undergraduate studies
*       Experience or strong interest in conservation and/or ecology
*       Adaptability