Since the 1970’s Durrell has been working with the Saint Lucia Ministry of Agriculture’s Forestry Department on conservation of the island’s biodiversity. Durrell’s conservation approach is primarily species led and we focus on the monitoring, protection and management of rare, endemic and highly threatened species.
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To achieve our conservation goals, we rely on the support that volunteers can provide to these long term projects. We are currently looking for four volunteers to commit to six months in St Lucia, starting in February 2010.
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In the first half of 2010, volunteer activities will be focused around the following, with an emphasis on the first two:
• Implementing control techniques for removing alien invasive iguanas that have been inadvertently introduced into the wild in the South West of Saint Lucia and threaten the genetic integrity of Saint Lucia iguanas (in the North East of Saint Lucia) through hybridization and competition.
• Management of a translocated meta-population of Saint Lucia whiptail lizards.
• Monitoring the southern sub-population of the white-breasted thrasher on Saint Lucia.
• Examining gene flow and geographic structuring of DNA variation in the fragmented northern sub-population of the white-breasted thrasher.
Ideally, applicants will have a background in biological sciences (preferably at graduate level) and experience of working in the tropics. However, similar prior experience, a determination to work, under sometimes uncomfortable or frustrating conditions, combined with good physical fitness and careful attention to data recording are the most important attributes we look for. Volunteers will work alongside SLFD staff and local communities around our field sites.
We need you to cover your flight, vaccinations and personal equipment but we will cover your insurance and in-country costs for basic subsistence and accommodation. Personal equipment that you will need to cover are basic (work clothes, good boots, reliable watch, torch, etc) but we do also ask you to bring your own tent and sleeping mat.
This is the ideal opportunity for someone looking for practical conservation experience working with some of the world's most threatened species. However, this is also fulltime work that requires the volunteer to be independent and self-motivated. Working hours are typically long and usually for 6 days per week with one day off. But the opportunity to live and work in a tropical country on real conservation projects will be more than compensation for this for the right candidates.
Full details of work are available at http://www.durrell.org/Get-Involved/Recruitment/ from 1-8-2010
For more info, contact:
If you wish to apply, please ensure that you have read the longer job description first (the PDF at http://www.durrell.org/Get-Involved/Recruitment/) and then contact recruitment@durrell.org submitting each of the following: a 2 page CV (résumé), a cover letter, Durrell’s application form available at http://www.durrell.org/Get-Involved/Recruitment/ and email contact details for two references. The selection process will involve short-listing and a phone interview for the short listed candidates with our Eastern Caribbean Programme Manager, Matthew Morton.