Volunteer work in the marine protection project in north-west Italy
- Directly at the sea
- Work outdoors
- Knowledge sharing
This project serves to protect and preserve the maritime flora and fauna. The special thing about this volunteer work is the fact that you will spend all your working hours and sleeping time on a boat. So come on board and get involved in marine conservation!
Northwest Italy
from 18 years
2 - 12 weeks
/ from €2.390
Monday
Conserve and sustainably use oceans, seas and marine resources for sustainable development.
What's the matter?
Since the ecosystem of the seas is massively endangered, among other things by overfishing or huge amounts of garbage in the sea, on the beaches and coasts, it is urgently necessary to take countermeasures here. In order to encourage people to rethink, to create awareness for marine and environmental protection, data must be collected and the population educated with the help of the data sets.
Your placement was founded in 1986. Since then she has been committed to the study and preservation of marine mammals and maritime flora and fauna. The focus is particularly on whales, dolphins and the monk seal. Recently, research has also been extended to manta rays and sea turtles. Research activities are mainly carried out in the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, North Atlantic, Antarctica, Red Sea and Caribbean.
The aim of this project is to ensure the long-term viability of the marine mammals living in the coastal waters of the eastern Ionian Sea. This should be done through research that supports the conservation efforts.
The measures that are carried out for this:
- Continuous monitoring of marine mammals through field research methods including boat monitoring and individual photo identification to identify population trends and identify critical habitats
- Research on anthropogenic, i.e. man-made, pressure
- Creating public awareness of the problems through seminars and lectures
- Meeting with the local authorities to provide clarification and explain to them the urgency of measures to protect marine mammals
Ultimately, ensuring long-term survival of healthy marine mammal populations must become a priority.
Your tasks as a volunteer
You will work with the researchers on daily monitoring from the boat and also contribute to data collection at sea. While navigating you will look for visual and audible signals from different species such as turtles, birds, whales, dolphins etc.
You will support the researchers in all aspects of their work. On board you can take on the following tasks:
Sighting shifts: Two volunteers and one researcher take turns at one-hour intervals to scan the horizon from the sighting platform and keep an eye out for marine life.
Night Navigation Shifts: When you're out at sea at night, you'll have to help the team with this task, including keeping an eye out for other boats to avoid collisions.
Cooking shifts: Two participants and one member of the team will take turns preparing breakfast, lunch and dinner and doing the dishes.
Cleaning shifts: Two participants will take turns picking up the garbage on the boat and unloading it when the opportunity arises. On the last day on the boat, all volunteers are required to clean the cabins, bathrooms and common areas.
As long as the weather conditions allow, you will spend every day at sea. The time to get up is between seven and eight in the morning. After breakfast the boat casts off and we start navigating and researching. Both the volunteers and the researchers are divided into sighting shifts to ensure that the possibility of discovery is constantly guaranteed. The length of time sightings can range from a few minutes to a few hours, so meal times are flexible too.
Once a whale has been sighted, it is followed for several hours to collect and record a variety of variables and information. Weather permitting, a night can be spent at sea for research purposes. If the conditions are bad, the anchor is dropped in a harbor overnight. During the day you will also have time to relax and swim if the weather and work permit.
Accommodation Catering
On a boat in north-west Italy
Your accommodation is the Pelagos RV, a 21-meter, twin-masted, motorized catamaran. The deck is made of teak. Below deck is a comfortable dining room with leather seats, a music player, a large screen PC, a bar and a refrigerator. There is also air conditioning. The ship's kitchen is small but very comfortable, has three refrigerators and is housed in a separate cabin. There are five cabins for 16 people. This number consists of up to eleven participants, four researchers and the captain.
The layout of the cabins is as follows: Two four-berth cabins, one of them for the researchers, a large and comfortable cabin for six people with two double and two single beds, and a small cabin at the bow with two single beds for the researcher Captain and a member of the research team. The cabins are not separated by gender. Each cabin has its own bathroom with hot water.
In order to preserve the wood paneling of the toilets and to control the humidity below deck, it is common practice to use the hot water showers on deck at the stern while underway. As a crew member, you also benefit from free access to the showers in the port, 24/7. During the project you will sleep on the ship, be sure to bring your own bedding or a sleeping bag. There is no internet on board, but there are cafes with WiFi on land. The mobile phone signal is also rather insufficient at sea.
For safety reasons, it is also strictly forbidden to smoke on the boat. The team and the volunteers take turns with the daily tasks and duties. In addition to research, these include dishwashing, cooking, cleaning, boat maintenance and equipment maintenance. The necessary ingredients for cooking are provided by the team.
Location
Northwest Italy
In this project you will be in the sea most of the time. This is how you get to know life on a boat and explore the vastness of the Mediterranean with the team!
There are two harbors not far from the project site. There are many shops and boutiques in the city center. A market takes place on Tuesday and Saturday mornings, which is also very popular with local residents. Monte-Carlo is also about 50 km away from your place of work.
Have you always wanted to spend a longer time at sea and get to know everyday life on a boat? Are you also interested in sea creatures? Then you are definitely right here!
On-site procedure
Arrival in Italy
Once you have landed at the airport in Genoa or Nice, you will then take the train to the project site. The journey from one of the two airports to the site takes about two hours. When you arrive at your destination, you will be greeted by the head of research or his colleagues. You will then have time to unpack and settle into the boat before being briefed and explained the research protocols.
On the first evening, you and the other volunteers will go to a restaurant or pizzeria, where further explanations will follow.
Orientation program in Italy
The orientation program begins when you arrive on the boat, where you will receive initial information. It takes place exclusively here on the floating pedestal and usually lasts about two days, if necessary up to a week. Along the way, you'll get explanations of the research protocols and methods used, as well as safety on board. The organization on the research boat as well as its basic functions and control elements will also be explained to you.
Your first day in the project
Your first day starts early at sea and you will mainly be engaged in various surveys and observations in the sea. You can look over the shoulder of many employees and learn a few things before you can start with various tasks yourself.
Pricing
-
2 weeks of participationbase fee€ 2.390, -
-
up to 10 weeks respectivelyextension week€ 990, - / week
included
Services
Before departure
- Individual advice and support from our trained RGV team in Munich
- Organization including placement in the project and coordination of your stay on site
- Assistance with preparation: visa, health care, travel insurance, etc.
- Non-binding flight advice
- Travel ABC with packing list for your travel preparation
- RGV t-shirt
On site
- Orientation program with the team on site
- Support and guidance from the on-site team
- RGV 24h emergency number
- Project t-shirt to wear during on-site activities
- Accommodation on the boat
- Meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner
After return
- Participation confirmation of your voluntary commitment
- Reflection course on your experiences abroad
- Evaluation sheet and optional feedback discussion
not included
Services
- Round trip
- Private expenses on site
- Excursions with microlight flights
- Travel and cancellation insurance
- Visa and Vaccinations
- All nights outside your agreed accommodation
- Public transport and extra transfers
- Airport transfer on the day of arrival and departure
- Soft drinks and alcoholic beverages
Individual
Recommended additional offers
& must-haves
Would you prefer to stay in a single room? Are you vegan or do you have special requests for food? Or do you want to do some cool trips with other volunteers in your free time and explore the country?
With us, you benefit from a variety of optional additional services that you can add individually to your booking, depending on your preferences.
Cheap flights with our flight partner thanks to volunteer rates.
Would you like to receive a cheap flight offer for your stay abroad that is perfectly tailored to you? After you have successfully registered, you can have a non-binding offer created.
The excellent rates for volunteers, students and young people are a great advantage. Arrival times and flight time changes can also be sent directly to RGV upon request, so that our RGV teams in the destination countries are always informed about your arrival times.
These special tariffs give you special added value:
- maximum flexibility for rebookings and cancellations
- generous baggage allowance
- Additional discounts on one-way flights: The new volunteer tariffs include attractive discounts to reduce your financial burden on one-way flights (e.g. for stopovers, project or country combinations).
Benefit from the 4 in 1 ERGO travel insurance.
You can easily book the long-term travel protection of ERGO Reiseversicherung after you have registered. You will receive the links to this automatically after a successful registration.
The following building blocks are included:
- Health Insurance
- Comfort protection: accident, liability and interruption insurance
- Travel insurance
-
Two tools to get you started on your personal developmentPersonal development introductory courseFree of charge
RGV
FAQ
to the project
How far in advance do I have to register?
Ideally your registration takes place at least 3-6 months before the desired departure date, But also short-term registrations are up 1-2 months before the planned departure is possible.
But it could be that your dream project is already booked. In this case we will try together to find a suitable alternative for you.
Can I travel with a friend or in a group?
Yes! On request we enable a double room if you for two with a friend or a friend, or an apartment or other suitable accommodation for groups.
We are very happy to enable our participants to go on a project and share accommodation with friends. Shared accommodation is usually possible both in the volunteer house and with the host family, although the room in the volunteer house may also be shared with other participants. In some locations there is also the option of sharing an apartment.
When registering, please always mention the person(s) traveling with you!
Can I combine projects?
Yes! You can combine projects at one location, at different locations, but also in different countries. It is also possible to combine a project with a trip. You can specify your desired combination directly when registering.
Combination options at a glance:
- Combine programs in one country
- Combine programs across countries
- Combine a program with a language course
- Combine a program with ours Adventure & Trips
There are a few things Project combinations to note: The minimum length of stay per project must be observed and you may incur additional costs for country combinations, for example for an intermediate flight.
What are the project fees used for?
Although we are a non-profit organization, there are costs associated with volunteering abroad. Find out here, why volunteering requires money and what your project fee is used for.
Do I need a visa?
As an EU citizen and from Switzerland, you do not need a visa for a stay of up to 90 days. If you want to stay longer than 90 days, you have to apply for a residence permit in the first month at the location.
What language skills do I need for the project?
In order to be able to communicate well with the team on site, you should definitely have good English skills.
When does the project always take place?
The project takes place from mid-May to mid-October.
What are the requirements for the environmental project?
No special prior knowledge is required to participate. Motivation, good health, the ability to work in a team, fun working outdoors and an interest in environmental issues are important.
What do I have to bring?
For the project you should bring swimming gear if you want to go swimming. You should also pack a pillowcase, a bed sheet and a blanket or sleeping bag. A sleeping bag is particularly recommended for May, June, September and October as the nights can be cool.
Ready to volunteer in Italy? Start your adventure abroad with Rainbow Garden Village!
Rainbow Garden Village has been offering volunteer work and internships abroad since 1999. What started as a small student initiative in Ghana has now grown into an organization with over 250 projects around the world.
You can be sure that your work as a volunteer will be an unforgettable experience. Bring your commitment and your knowledge to do good locally - and at the same time benefit from the unique experiences that will promote your personal development.
Become part of our RGV community!
We look forward to you.
RGV
Your way
to the volunteer
1
Choose your volunteer project and register online.
2
We will review your application and confirm your participation.
3
Prepare for your assignment online or in our preparatory seminar in Munich.
4
Here we go! During your volunteer work, we will support you at any time with our on-site team.
Gallery
Impressions &
Impressions
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