Third Millennium Alliance is a non-profit dedicated to preserving the last remnants of Ecuador’s coastal Pacific Forest and to empower local communities to restore what has been lost. We own and operate the 1000+ acre Jama-Coaque Reserve in Manabi, Ecuador, and envision a culture in which local communities recognize both the practical and intrinsic benefits of forest stewardship and manage the land accordingly, creating both economic and environmental sustainability in the region.
Position: Conservation Biology Internship in Coastal Ecuador Ecological Reserve, with Optional PDC Course
Internship Summary: Internship opportunity in the coastal forests of Ecuador, in conservation, permaculture, restoration, community outreach, scientific research, construction& environmental technology. Two-month duration, living off the grid at an ecological reserve, includes optional PDC course.
Full description of internship: 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 an optional Permaculture Design Course with this internship, to be taught throughout the two-month duration. There is a difference in price based on whether you choose to take the PDC course; 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:
•*Monkey Troop Demography & Behavioral Study (Mantled howler monkeys & critically endangered Ecuadorian white-fronted capuchins)
•*GIS Research* (mapping the reserve, conservation drone use, changes in vegetation)
•*Native Seed Bank Nursery* (requires strong Spanish-speaking skills)
•*Water Quality Measurements* (knowledge of aquatic macrofauna is an advantage)
• Camera trap survey of wild felines (ocelot, jaguarundi, anteater, etc)
•*Herpetofauna survey* (reptile and amphibian diversity and abundance)
• Ornithology Survey - (bird identification experience)
Sustainable Food Production:
•Production Zone Intensive – Focused on increasing food production, crop zonification & rotation, plant propagation, care/maintenance, integrated pest management and food preservation (ie, canning)
Appropriate Technology:
•*Building a bike-powered & solar system using transforming human & solar power into electricity for the Bamboo House*
•*Build a cacao fermenter*
•*Natural Building* – bamboo, adobe walls, enlarging our kitchen
•Design and build a non-electrical refrigerator
Spring Internship Dates: March 19 – May 15, 2015
Spring Application Deadline: Tuesday, February 28, 2015
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 Spring session, and whether you are interested in taking the PDC course.
We look forward to working with you!
Contact Information:
Eva Filipczykova
Internship & Research Coordinator
Third Millennium Alliance
Jama, Ecuador
www.tmalliance.org