BMC Volunteer Program
Big Mammals Conservation is a project dedicated to the management and conservation of the big mammals in the northern Andes of Ecuador, focusing on the study of their populations and interactions, working with the different GADs of the MAE, wildlife units, Protected areas and rural communities.
¿ Where is volunteering?
In San Francisco of Sigsipamba that belongs to the Canton of Pimampiro, Province of Imbabura. It limits to the north, with the Cabecera Cantonal Pimampiro and with the parish Chuga, to the south and east, with the parish of Reventador, Canton Gonzalo Pizarro, and to the west, with the parish of Mariano Acosta.
We will work on these ecosystems:
High mountain humid forest: It extends in a wide strip that in the oriental foothills goes from the 2900 to the 3600 M.A.S.L. It includes transitional vegetation between the high montane forests and the moor. It is common to find large trees with ramifications from their base, with provisions in some cases almost horizontal (Valencia et al. 1999).
Moor: Pajonal moor are very similar to those of the western mountain range, but generally more humid. Moors are distribute in a range of 3400-3500 to 4000 M.A.S.L. These moors are dominate by herbs in tufts (bunch) of the genera Calamagrostis, Festuca and Stipa intertwined with other herbs and small shrubs. In some places, they include associations between mosses, shrubs and grasses in muddy places becoming true water mattresses (Valencia et al. 1999).
Volunteer’s activities
- Monitoring:
The monitoring will be done by sightings and by the telemetry method, with the equipment that is in the station, recording the data in the monitoring format. Secondary evidence will also recorded, such as: plants already food, carrion, trees Marked, feces, and footprints. These records must be photographed and georeferenced to be recorded in the database
- Trap camera monitoring:
Volunteers should monitor trap camera stations. This involves walking to trap camera points that may be in places away from the station, so this could take a few hours of walking. Once in the trap camera points they will have to replace the memory card and restart the camera (verifying that it is properly program).
- New routes:
Volunteers will search for new routes, to locate areas or corridors used by these mammals that could be trap camera points in the future.
- Samples collection
During all the trips that are develop by the different activities, the volunteers must register and collect the samples as follows:
- Andean bear hair: photographic record and collected in ziploc bag
- Footprints: traced, measures and photographic record
- Nests: photographic record, when reasonably accessible, vegetation will be collect from the nests to know the composition of these platforms.
NOTE: All samples must be georeferenced (using a GPS unit and be record in WGS84 format) and duly marked with date, location, sample type and collector
- Guide to Bear’s Lookout Trail:
The volunteer will make guides to the tourists that visit the station of the Mirador del Oso making a complete tour from the interpretation center to the trail and viewpoint explaining and clarifying everything related to the Andean bear and its area of life.
- Data collection and analysis:
It is important to perform this activity in an orderly manner because of this depends the understanding and analysis of the results for the correct development of the project.
- Trap camera images and videos: there are downloaded from the memories of the traps cameras, are classified and analyzed, with the objective of identifying individual bears and understanding more about their behavior, population density and habitat use and areas of lifetime.
- Footprints: match with existing records and with known individuals.
- Andean bear hair: classified, properly stored and marked
NOTE: All information must be record in the BMC database
*The necessary explanation will be made for the different activities
Tracking formats volunteering:
Work Plan: This format must be complete at the beginning of the volunteer service, at the time of arriving at the station; it schedules the activities to be performer during the volunteer service and designates the person responsible for your follow up.
Behavior monitoring: In this format, the activities scheduled in the Work Plan are monitored, depending on the time of permanence in the station, follow-up periods are established (weekly, biweekly, or monthly) in which the experience of the Volunteer and set correctives if necessary
Post Service Evaluation: At the end of the experience, the performance of the Volunteer is evaluate according to different criteria. The above in order to obtain a certificate of your service as a Volunteer.
Final Report of the Experience: In this format you make a report of the experience lived as a volunteer and deliver it at the end of the service as a volunteer. We suggest that the volunteer deliver images of his volunteer work in jpg format, in order to feed the institutional image bank.
Aspects to take into account for the development of your volunteering.
- The BMC director is the one who authorizes and coordinates the entry of the volunteer
- The Volunteer must comply with the Program’s regulations.
- The Volunteer must keep proper behavior, during your volunteering.
- Once the service is completed, the volunteer must submit the identification card to the person responsible for the BMC volunteer program
- For any reason or circumstance, you decline your service please inform the BMC volunteer coordinator
Accommodation
Volunteers will have basic accommodation in a shared room, with private bathroom and shower, usually in a family home. In case camping is necessary (depends on the activity previously programmed) it is necessary to have
- Tent
- Sleeping
- Backpack fully equipped with personal belongings
Food
Three meals a day will be provide while you are at the field station – you will probably prepare your own breakfast and a picnic lunch while working. In case of vegetarians, it is important to let them know at the time they are applied.
Working hours
Working hours will be dictate by the needs of the project, usually volunteers will work 6-8 hours a day. The schedule of activities will be do once the volunteer has passed the entire application process and known time of permanence