Volunteering
S
o you want to get more involved in conservation? The best way
to start is to volunteer. This page will direct you to resources all about volunteering
in the countryside.
The Naturenet List
of Conservation Volunteer Groups on the Web
Volunteering
is a good way to find out more about your local countryside, or somewhere you
want to know more about. You meet the people who work there, and who know all
about it. You will learn skills and knowledge whilst helping to look after the
countryside. Volunteering is a great way to start a career in conservation -
to find out more about this see our Careers
page.
People volunteer to keep active after retirement, or to gain experience before
taking a paid job, or as a part of a course or award scheme, such as the Duke
of Edinburgh Award. It can also be a good way to meet like-minded people socially,
and many conservation volunteer groups also meet in the pub or people's homes
as well as actually out in the countryside. See London
and West Middlesex National Trusts volunteer group for a good example of this
sort of thing in action. Some conservation volunteers even find it a great way
to hitch up with a new partner!
Volunteering can take almost any form. There are opportunities
for people of all ages and abilities, and for those who can give lots of time
or just a little. You might even be able to work from home and still lend a
hand. You might get your expenses paid, and maybe free entry to places where
others might have to pay, or free training. But then again you might not. It
will depend on the individual arrangements you have with the people you are
volunteering for. Don't be afraid to ask before you start. You should make sure
you only promise to do what you are sure you will do - don't offer to work all
week if you think you might not turn up some days.
Don't worry, it's painless. Get in touch with your local
countryside service, such as a country park, Wildlife
Trust,
or National Park.
If you are a frequent visitor to a particular bit of countryside you will probably
have met the rangers or other people who work there already. These will be the
very best place to start, because they will know your local area. Other organisations
have their own volunteers who work on their particular reserves or countryside.
These include RSPB
and the National Trust.
To find out about training, opportunities in other parts of the country, and many
other things, you should certainly get in touch with BTCV,
the most important organisation for conservation volunteering in Britain. Of particular
interest for National Park volunteers, but also relevant to others, is the Association
of Countryside Voluntary Wardens.
• Conservation opportunities with BTCV.
• BUCV Conservation
Volunteers Safety Policy: if you havn't got one, you should have. This simple
document is a good place to start.
• The following is extracted from the National Trust website, you can also
visit the startlingly good National
Trust Volunteers Website for more:
"For further information on how to become
a National Trust volunteer:
For local opportunities, contact the Volunteers Co-ordinator at your nearest
National Trust office. Go to http://www.nationaltrust.org.uk/volunteering/
Long-term volunteers scheme (full-time for three to six months or more) :
For guidance notes, vacancy list and application form, send a SAE to the Volunteers
Office, The National Trust, 33 Sheep Street, Cirencester, Glos GL7 1RQ.
Working Holidays (week-long / weekend residential projects):For a current
brochure, telephone 020 8315 1111."
• RSPB
Volunteering website: to find out about volunteering for the RSPB.
• VSO: recruits
experienced volunteers to natural resources positions in some of the poorest
countries in the world. VSO has opportunities in agricultural teaching, coastal
resource management, horticulture, forestry, eco-tourism and natural resource
management. There are also opportunities to work overseas for 17-25 year olds
through the World Youth exchange or the Youth for Development programme.
• Earthwatch
Institute: matching conservation volunteers
from around the world to suitable research projects
• Volunteer Latin America:
seems to offer some genuine volunteer opportunities, not just cheap holidays!
• If you have large sums of money and a yearning for foreign travel, you
may indulge yourself by looking at Ecovolunteer.
It is very pretty and alluring, but remember -'think globally, act locally.'
• The World Guide to Voluntary Work
In Nature Conservation.
• The Global Volunteer Network.
