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Paraguay remains one of the least visited countries in South America yet is also amongst the most friendly, safe and traditional. Paraguay is perfect for an adventurer ready to explore a different world off the beaten track. Para La Tierra is based at Reserva Natural Laguna Blanca, a beautiful location in the east of Paraguay, boasting a clear freshwater lake ready for swimming in, and a sandy beach for you to relax on at the end of the day. Laguna Blanca lies on the frontier of the Paraguayan Cerrado and the Atlantic Forest, two of the most interesting and important habitats in the world. The Cerrado was named a biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International while the Atlantic Forest is one of the five most rapidly disappearing habitat types on Earth. You will be able to explore both of these areas and see some of the biodiversity that Paraguay has to offer such as the maned-wolf, jaguar, capuchin monkey, brock deer, burrowing owl and armadillo. Perhaps the most important species of all is the White-winged Nightjar which is found to breed near Laguna Blanca and in two other locations in the world. Researchers at Para La Tierra are studying this bird's life cycle, habitat and behaviour in order to ensure its survival.
At Para
La Tierra we specialize in training life sciences undergraduates and graduates
in the skills they need to enter further education or the job market. Supported
by Rolex, the Rufford Foundation and US Fish and Wildlife Service, we are here
to help you develop your project design and management skills while you gain
experience of a wide variety of field work techniques. You will leave Para La
Tierra with an excellent knowledge of how to carry out field projects as well
as an understanding of neotropical flora and fauna. You can also join in
on our workshops to learn how to write grants and use GPS among other things.
At the same time you’ll be immersed in Paraguayan culture with a beautiful lake
at the bottom of the garden.
As
an intern you will begin your project before you even leave home as you work
with our intern supervisor to design your project and complete a literature
review. You can choose to begin your own project from scratch depending on your
own interests, or you can pick a project from our list of options which you can
find on our website. By the time you arrive you’ll be in the final stages of
planning and ready to start exploring the reserve. Your fieldwork will start
soon after and you might want to enlist some of Para La Tierra’s volunteers to
help you. At the end of your fieldwork, you’ll write up your project results
and give a short presentation of your study to the other interns and volunteers
in the house. After all your hard work you’ll leave with an academic reference
and a certificate, plus hundreds of fantastic memories to share with those at
home.
You will be directly involved in helping us to conserve this threatened habitat
by aiding us in scientific investigation of the area and making our results
public to help raise awareness of the ecological importance of Laguna
Blanca.
As
an intern, you will also be given the opportunity to see your name in print in
a scientific paper, book or in some of our educational material and we are
always careful that interns receive full credit for their work.
Costs -
$850
per month for the 1st 2 months and $800 for each subsequent month. You can also
pay on a weekly basis pro rata. There is a 25% discount for South American
nationals.
This
price includes all of your living costs during you stay with us. The meeting
point is in Santa Rosa del Aguaray which is the nearest town to the reserve. The
cost includes three meals a day with unlimited fruit juice and mineral water,
tea and coffee, accommodation, wifi, access to leisure activities such as
kayaking and horse riding, administrative costs and a small contribution to
Para La Tierra's projects.
Internships require a minimum stay of 3 months and you can apply by sending a CV to paralatie...@ymail.com.
For more information see www.paralatierra.org