Location:

Athens, Greece

Program Type:

Volunteer Abroad

Degree Level:

Undergraduate

Work Types:

Animals, Environment

Duration:

1-3 months

Program Overview

Program Description:

Become a marine conservation volunteer and participate in dolphin research in the Ionian Sea, helping to provide a marine environment that provides long-term viability for the species. The research focuses on the Bottlenose Dolphin and the Short-Beaked Common Dolphin, in the Amvrakikos Gulf and the Inner Ionian Sea archipelago. We have places for Cetacean Volunteer Researchers to join for one or more weeks from June to September each year.

An opportunity for marine conservation volunteers to take part in Bottlenose and Short-Beaked Common Dolphins research in the Ionian Sea. Dolphin research volunteers will be working alongside the project researchers on a daily basis, and upon sighting a dolphin volunteers will be expected to log angle and distance from the boat, as well as recording the size and spatial distribution of the dolphins (assuming there is a group). Work in general is fast-paced, and a lot of data needs to be recorded in a short space of time, so volunteers need to be alert continually throughout the boat journeys.

Dolphins found within the Ionian Coast have been facing many human-induced threats over the past few decades - human encroachment, general activity and habitat destruction have lead to the dolphins moving from their natural territory and into less preferable areas in terms of habitat quality. This Project aims to therefore establish long-term viability for two of the dolphin species, the Bottlenose Dolphin and the Short-Beaked Common Dolphin, in the Amvrakikos Gulf and the Inner Ionian Sea archipelago.

Setting Description:

The primary study area is in the Gulf of Ambracia, specifically Vonitsa, where the field base of the project is located. The Gulf is a semi-closed basin, rich in nutrients, and is one of the most species-rich and species-abundant areas of Greece - Bottlenose Dolphins for instance are more densely-populated in this region than anywhere else in the Mediterranean Sea. Based on photo-identification analysis of nearly 50,000 dorsal fin images between 2001-2013, the Bottlenose displays high site-fidelity and rarely ventures outside of the Gulf. The Inner Ionian Sea Archipelago, the second location of this project, is just a few kilometres south of the Gulf.

Cost:

To volunteer on this dolphin research project, the total cost ranges from £670 to £790 GB pounds per week (depending on course date). This includes a £180 GB pounds application payment payable with the application, with the balance payment to be paid in Euros (745 to 825 Euros depending on course date and duration, or for students under 26 yrs old, 663 to 745 Euros).