Planet Conservation

Overview

Description

Planet Conservation is an exchange program with activities in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. We work with volunteers, interns, thesis students, and people who have traveled to another country and want to have a authentic experience and to help the communities they visit to have sustainable livelihoods while conserving natural resources.

Rural sustainable development and biodiversity conservation is the goal of our environmental, social, educational, and cultural programs. Each one is developed through agreements with local organizations that are working to build communities and are generating direct benefits for conservation and human well-being.

Participants gain a unique experience from helping projects, communities, and cultures in several countries in diverse ways. They enrich their lives while they help develop activities that foster environmental conservation.

With Planet Conservation, you can alternate between volunteering and tourism and adventure activities to learn more about the countries we work in. Some of the main activities we offer are:

• Helping to conserve and research flagship and/or endangered species such as whales, dolphins, sea turtles, manatees, jaguars, monkeys, and other tropical forest and marine species.
• Environmental education programs.
• Co-existence or contact with indigenous communities.
• Social work with children at risk, children with physical limitations, or vulnerable populations (children, women heads of household, seniors).
• A home-stay with a local family.
• Camping with people from different countries and cultures.
• Rural sustainable tourism.
• Hiking and horseback riding in the rainforest.
• Participation in beach, forest, jungle, or desert projects.
• Extreme sports such as whitewater rafting, surfing, rappelling, canoeing, para gliding, scuba-diving, and more.
• Bridges over the tropical forest canopy.
• Day and night tours including mangroves, poison dart frogs, beach patrols for sea turtle conservation, visits to serpentariums, and an arthropod collection – one of the largest in the world.
• Tours to see cetaceans, monkeys, crocodiles, toucans, macaws, tapirs, and more.

Making a Difference

Number of employees: 2

Our organization aims to create sustainable alternative livelihoods by strengthening social responsibility. Our vision is to be the lead organization for cultural exchanges with an emphasis on volunteer work in the areas of conservation, education, cultures, and social work with vulnerable populations.

We are based in Costa Rica and form agreements and alliances with organizations that share our principles. We try to strengthen grassroots organizations so that rural communities living in regions with high biodiversity can have sustainable alternative livelihoods.

There are many activities and regions where you can help and there are different ways to participate. We have agreements with more than 25 organizations in the three countries where we work, and we have research and conservation projects, and also projects to rescue and reintroduce endangered species. We also promote projects for environmental education, reforestation, recycling, and the improvement of environmentally-friendly practices. We work with national parks, indigenous communities, research institutions, environmental organizations, and educational centers.

The people who participate in our programs help local families, lodges, and campgrounds to have human and economic resources they need to continue their projects.

Rates

$26 – $50

Costs vary by country, the program, and the interests of the person. For example:

• US$250 per week for social, cultural, and educational projects.
• US$300 per week for environmental and conservation projects.

The minimum time for each program is one week, and three weeks are required in some cases.

We have activities for groups and offer special rates.

More information about our rates is available on our Web site.

Getting There

The places to visit and itineraries are developed according to the interests of the traveler, the program(s) chosen, and the country or countries where s/he wants to help.

Additional Information

Participation in the program includes:

• Boarding in a lodge, family home, or campground, according to the project.
• Typical food (three meals per day).
• Country map and guide.
• Planet Conservation t-shirt.
• Certificate of participation.
• 24-hour emergency contact.
• Transportation.
• Materials and equipment needed for work in the project.

It does not include:

• Airline tickets.
• Insurance.
• Entry and departure taxes for the country.

Date This Information Was Provided

November 2010.

Photos courtesy of Planet Conservation, Costa Rica, for SustainableTrip.org.