By Ed Peter

Journey to the heart’s core

Volunteers signing up for one of Earthwatch’s programs could find themselves collecting species of butterflies in Vietnam’s Tam Dao National Park or helping to preserve the WWII diving sites of Truk Lagoon in Micronesia (above).

 

For much of the past four decades, thousands of volunteers have been
taking an eco-holiday with a difference thanks to a charity called Earthwatch. The volunteers travel to exotic locations, but rather than lying on a beach or browsing bazaars, they spend their vacations helping the community – and getting out just as much as they put in, if not more.

Founded in Boston in 1971, Earthwatch aims to match volunteers to scientific projects to promote sustainable conservation of the world’s natural assets. For volunteers, it’s a highly worthwhile and intimate voyage of discovery. In return, the Earthwatch scientists, dubbed Principal Investigators, or PIs, get a bunch of free and very enthusiastic assistants. So everybody benefits.

The range and depth of Earthwatch projects is amazing. Volunteers signing up for one of its programs could find themselves tasked to collect more than 100 species of butterflies in Vietnam’s Tam Dao National Park, documenting the architecture, history and folklore of a traditional Chinese village before its inhabitants are relocated, or helping to preserve the natural and heritage attributes of Truk Lagoon’s WWII diving sites in Micronesia.

The Earthwatch teams are usually quite small, with a maximum of 15 volunteers, and range in age from 16 to 85. They’re drawn from all around the world and from a variety of professions and backgrounds, but they all share the same spirit of interest and excitement. Because of this, groups usually bond within the first couple of days.

Apart from a reasonable level of fitness, no special skills are required, and PIs brief volunteers on the project and what they are expected to do when they arrive. Earthwatch also stresses the need to fit in with the local environment and to respect indigenous customs.

For the PIs involved with the Earthwatch projects, introducing a cosmopolitan bunch of outsiders to their work is time-consuming but ultimately rewarding.

Dr Mary Littrell, who has worked for Earthwatch in Mumbai, said, “Our research with artisans grounds us in the hardships of daily life in India – yet they continually inspire us by the beauty that they produce under such difficult circumstances.

“Earthwatch gives us the chance as researchers to share that exhilaration with others at a very personal level.”

Botanist Dr Susan Kephart, who has been involved with Earthwatch for many years, added, “I’ve overseen volunteers who are teenagers and volunteers who’ve retired – and one group included folks from the US, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Ghana and Japan.

“The diverse tasks suit the diverse backgrounds of the participants. One year I had an accountant who kept our data organized, a couple who loved catching and pinning insects, a cell biologist and a radiologist who were great with microscope work, and an expert on Dr Seuss, the children’s author, who kept morale high!”

Just as Earth-watch volunteers spend much of their time working rather than relaxing – although a free day or two is usually allotted for sightseeing – there is of course no free lunch.

Accommodation can be no-frills, meals not exactly gourmet-standard and the cost starts at around US$1,800 for seven days, flight not included.

But as one volunteer put it, “My regular job is high-tech numbers and computers all day, and I was desperate for the human touch. Earthwatch grabbed me at the core.”

For more information visit their website at www.earthwatch.org or call their international number at 978-461-0081.