Description:
Third Millennium Alliance (TMA) was founded in 2007 with the purchase of 100 acres and the establishment of the Jama-Coaque Reserve (JCR) in the western province of Manabí, Ecuador, between the cities of Jama and Pedernales, and four kilometers inland. Now encompassing over 1,000 acres, the Jama-Coaque Reserve actively protects one of the last remaining fragments of Pacific Equatorial Forest, which is considered to be one of the most threatened tropical forests in the world. Learn more at www.tmalliance.org.
Internship Opportunities:
Interns are to take on high-impact and dynamic projects; we are a young organization forging our path as we discover it. There is a tremendous amount of work to be done and experience to be gained – for interns and for us. Above all, creativity, innovation, and self-motivation are the fuel of our intern program. Immediately surrounding the house we are designing/growing/building a living laboratory of sustainable resource management (i.e. permaculture), which also serves as our field station for field biological research and forest monitoring.
We are offering two optional courses with this internship, to be taught throughout the two-month duration. The first is a Permaculture Design Certification course, and the second a GIS workshop. The main objective of the GIS workshop is to provide participants with the basic skills needed to use GIS in their research. We work with QGIS, a free open source GIS software that has evolved during the last few years as an ESRI competitor. There is a difference in price based on whether you choose to take the PDC course or the GIS workshop; please visit our website for more information: www.tmalliance.org/internships/program-cost.
In addition to work managing the agroforestry production zone and organic vegetable garden, each intern is assigned a personal project, which is akin to a internship project. Generally speaking, there are three categories of personal projects: 1) conservation biology research, 2) sustainable food production, and 3) appropriate technology.
The following is a list of some of the projects we’re looking to tackle during the upcoming sessions. Some are new projects and others are ongoing and multi-year projects. Projects with stars next to them are of high interest and priority. When applying please prioritize three projects from the list below in the order of most interest.
Flora & Fauna Research:
•*Ethnobotany* (requires strong Spanish-speaking skills)
•*Native Seed Bank Nursery* (requires strong Spanish-speaking skills)
•*Water Quality Measurements* (knowledge of aquatic macrofauna is an advantage)
•*GIS Research* (vegetation & trail mapping of the JCR, field work is also related to the camera trap survey)
•*Camera trap survey of wild felines* (ocelot, jaguarundi)
•*Monkey Troop Demography & Behavioral Study (Mantled howler monkeys & critically endangered Ecuadorian white-fronted capuchins)
•*Herpetofauna survey* (reptile and amphibian diversity and abundance)
•Ornithology Survey - (ornithology experience and Spanish-speaking skills)
Permaculture/Food Production:
•Green Building - Learn to use natural, and sustainable building materials. Upcoming projects include an earthbag (aka super adobe) retaining wall, use cob to plaster walls, re-floor the field station with bamboo, making new and repairing old furniture.
•Production Zone Intensive – Focused on increasing food production, crop zoning & rotation, plant propagation, care/maintenance, integrated pest management and food preservation (ie, canning)
Appropriate Technology:
•*Building a bike-powered system using transforming human power into electricity for the Bamboo House*
•*Build a cacao fermenter*
•Design and build a non-electrical refrigerator
Qualifications
Independent, creative thinkers with an interest in conservation, permaculture, and living off the grid in one of the most biodiverse regions in the world. While not required, it is recommended to be studying or have completed study in a relevant field.
Winter Internship Dates: January 5-March 3, 2015
Winter Application Deadline: Wednesday, November 5, 2014
To see a complete program description, please visit our “Internship” page on our website at http://www.tmalliance.org/internships. Here you can download the application form and contact details, as well as other media, such as photos, video, and the program FAQ. NOTE: When applying to the internship, please make sure to specify in your e-mail subject that you are applying for the Winter session, and whether you are interested in taking the PDC course or GIS workshop.
We look forward to working with you!
Eva Filipczykova
Internship & Research Coordinator
Third Millennium Alliance
Jama, Ecuador
www.tmalliance.org
Contact Information:
Eva Filipczykova
Internship & Research Coordinator
eva@tmalliance.org