Overview
Volunteer with Turtles and Community Development in Vanuatu

Volunteering with turtles as a part of vital sea turtle conservation will take you to the turquoise waters and golden sands of Vanuatu, voted the ‘happiest place on earth’ in 2006 by the New Economics Foundation. This grassroots effort to protect sea turtles is run by the inhabitants of Tasiriki village on Moso Island, from the long-term nesting survey that was started in 2006 in conjunction with Wan Smolbag and GVI.

Joining this project will also give you the chance to try your hand at many other activities that occur in the village, such as reef surveying, teaching at the village school and cooking local food. In your spare time you can snorkel on tropical reefs, learn to dive or just sit and ‘storian’ with your new friends in the village.

View Film Footage, images, blogs, volunteer stories from the field, volunteer video diaries and more at the programs media centre

I made some wonderful friends and I learnt so much about another culture, about sea turtles and about myself.

Sallee Harman, 2008 Volunteer

What Difference Does This Project Make?

The Vanua-Tai (meaning ‘Of Land and Sea’) Natural Resource Monitors are a national network of community members that are working within their communities to institute bans on the harvest of turtles and their eggs. Coordinated by Wan Smolbag Theatre in the capital of Port Vila, this network has been growing in size and accomplishments since it’s inception in 1995. One community involved in this effort, Tasiriki Village, is located on the shores of Moso Island. Home to what may be a nationally significant nesting beach and foraging grounds for Hawksbill turtles, the people of Tasiriki are interested in learning more about the turtles they co-exist with and ensuring they are still there for future generations.

Highlights

Living and working with the ‘happiest people on earth’, contributing to research on local turtle populations, seeing nesting turtles and hatchlings, exploring the stunning island’s beaches and forests.

Location

Vanuatu is a Melanesian island nation located in the South Pacific Ocean. The archipelago of 83 islands is located some 1,750 km east of Australia, west of Fiji and south of the Solomon Islands. Volunteers will have the opportunity to explore the beaches of Moso and snorkel or dive in crystal clear waters. If you have the time and a sense of adventure, you can climb volcanoes, explore the rainforests and witness a variety of truly spectacular things, like the Pentecost Land Dive (the world’s first bungee jump), before you finish your visit to Vanuatu.

Field Conditions

Participants will be staying in two dormitory-style (four beds in each) ‘bush bungalows’ that have been built for the volunteers by the Tasiriki community. Volunteers will share one bucket-flush toilet and two bucket shower huts. Amenities will be sparse, but the basics are there. At the bungalows, drinking water will be provided by a rainwater collection tank and a nearby freshwater spring will provide refreshing cold water that is used for bucket showering. Volunteers will eat local food prepared by members of the community. Vegetarians are welcome, but please notify us ahead of time.