Biological Research Station
Are you interested in biology, wildlife, and nature? And do you want to learn more about research and get hands-on field experience? Then you should be a volunteer this project.We offer two biological research station projects in Costa Rica:
Research Station – Ojochal
- Quick Facts
- Details Research Center in Ojochal
- Volunteer Responsibilities - Ojochal
- Qualifications
- Accommodation & Food
- Location
- Fees
- More Info
- Gallery - Ojochal Research Station
- Age requirement: 18+ years
- Dates: The project accept volunteers year around
- Working Schedule: 5 – 6 days a week for 6-8 hours a day
- Language requirement: You do not have to speak Spanish because the project supervisor, volunteers / interns and other staff members speak and understand English
- Costs: A one week experience starts from US$649, for each additional week add on another US$299 per week
- Duration project: Minimum of one week
- Accommodation: Volunteer house offers private rooms and dormitories right on the property of the research center
- Food: Three meals a day, food provided for you to prepare your own meals
- Location: Ojochal on the Puntarenas, Costa Rica
- We offer: 24/7 emergency telephone support
- Optional: A letter of recommendation and certificate at the end of your volunteer time
Sea Turtles
In the past seasons the research center has successfully protected over 140 sea turtle nests and released more than 5000 hatchlings (each nest has about 100 eggs). During turtle season, nests are moved to the hatchery where they are observed and constantly protected. The researchers and volunteers collect important data about the biology of the nests and make sure that the hatchlings arrive safely in the ocean.
Mammal Research
Another important aspect of the biological research center is the mammal research project, an important study because these species are important for the dynamic balance of the forest. The reserve around the biological research center has over 11 species of mammals, such as raccoons, coatis, kinkajous, weasels, river otters, tayra and monkeys. The researchers and volunteers collect data on the mammals with camera traps and by studying their behavior, and they constantly collect information about their local distribution and movements.
Caimans and Crocodiles
Another great research project is the caiman and crocodile project, which aims at gathering information about their distribution, their relationship with the environment and human impacts on the ecosystem. The research center wants an initial profile of the population of crocodiles. By adding new information about the crocodiles’ current status, the conservation and management of this species can be improved.
Environmental Education and Butterflies
The butterfly garden of the Biological research center offers visitors to see butterflies and learn about their behavior. The butterfly garden is an educational alternative for tourists, but also for the whole surrounding community. Often school kids come and visit the center, and you can help educating them about nature, butterflies, and conservation. Visitors of the garden can learn more about the butterfly cycle of life, metamorphosis, anatomy, physiology, senses, food, ecologic nice and many more.
Green Life Volunteers partners with the Biological Research Center to provide them with more researchers and volunteers to help with ongoing research projects and also establishing new research.
- Help with ongoing research projects, such as the turtle, mammal, crocodile and butterfly research
- Install cameras in the reserve, check the cameras for activities and replace the batteries of the cameras
- (Nocturnal) monitoring of the animals
- Counting of the animals
- Marking of the animals and their locations
- Capturing of the species
- Help in the hatchery at night and during the day
- Patrol beaches during sea turtle season to collect eggs and bring them to the hatchery
- Release baby turtles into the ocean once hatched
- Other research project help – whatever is ongoing at the biological research center
You’ll share the accommodation with your fellow volunteers. Food is Costa Rican typical food cooked for you and prepared by a chef.
You’ll all eat together in a common space at certain hours. Breakfast is usually around 6-7am, lunch is around 12pm, and dinner is around 6 -7pm.
The town of Ojochal is really small – but the nearby town Uvita is bigger and has supermarkets, restaurants, banks, pharmacies, a National Park, and more. You can go and visit Uvita in your free time or if you need anything special.
To find out more about our Project Locations read our Locations Page.
- First week’s fee: $US 649
- Every Additional Week: $US 299 (It does not matter many weeks you choose, this fee stays the same)
FEES EXPLAINED: Our organizational fee of around 299$ is included in the first week’s fee and covers the “behind the scenes costs”, such as staff salaries, office space rental, transaction and bank fees, and more. Our weekly fee for additional weeks covers the costs of your host family or project accommodation and food, the local staff on your project, and a donation to help with the daily running costs of the program you will help on.
NOT INCLUDED IN THE FEE: First and last night in San Jose in a hostel, travel to and from the international airport (airport shuttles are around 30$ each way to San Jose – We can set this up for you, just ask us during sign-up), travel to the project site (usually by public buses, which are from around 10-16$ one way), national/ International flights, travel insurance, visa costs, any additional food or snacks besides the host family meals, extra-curricular activities.
This is the GLV Handbook for the Biological Research Center. This will give you DETAILED info on everything you would need and want to know regarding the project. If you have any other questions, don’t hesitate to contact us!
To view our handbook in your browser, click on the PDF symbol:
To download and save our handbook on your computer, please click the link below:
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Monkey surveying
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Beach at Ojochal Research Station
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Samantha on amphibian research
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Bananas
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Researching
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Camera Trap study
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Hatchery
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Hatchery
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Beach at Ojochal Research Station
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Turtle conservation
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Turtle conservation hatchery
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Living cuarters Ojochal
Fundacion Neotropica
- Quick Facts
- Details Fundacion Neotropica
- Volunteer Responsibilities
- Qualifications
- Accommodation & Food
- Location
- Fees
- Gallery - Neotropica
- Age requirement: 18+ years
- Dates: The project accept volunteers year around
- Working Schedule: 5 – 6 days a week for 6-8 hours a day
- Language requirement: You do not have to speak Spanish because the project supervisor, volunteers / interns and other staff members speak and understand English
- Costs: A one week experience starts from US$649, for each additional week add on another US$299 per week
- Duration project: Minimum of one week
- Accommodation: Volunteer house offers private rooms and dormitories right on the property of the research center
- Food: Three meals a day, food provided for you to prepare your own meals
- Location: Fundacion Neotropica, Osa Peninsula, Costa Rica
- We offer: 24/7 emergency telephone support
- Optional: A letter of recommendation and certificate at the end of your volunteer time
Fundacion Neotropica is invested in: Environmental Education, Management Plans for Wild Protected Areas, Ecological Economics and Blue Carbon. Those are also the main topics volunteers can get involved in.
The development of the different programs and projects are directed by professionals in the field and required areas of the Neotrópica Foundation. It is a joint effort with a large number of volunteers from different sectors and institutions, both nationally and internationally, with whom the success of the programs and projects has been achieved.
- Planting of mangrove seedlings in degraded areas
- Nursery maintenance
- Monitoring of mangrove seedlings in identified places
- Participation in dissemination activities
Reforestation in the ARBORETUM Jorge Luis Poveda Alvarez
- Tree plantation
- Monitoring of seedlings and identified places
- Maintenance of trails within the Arboretum
- Participation in dissemination activities
Maintain a Demonstration Organic Orchard
- Reconstruction of the greenhouse
- General maintenance of the garden
- Construction of a demonstrative garden of medicinal plants in the area
- Treatment of organic waste and compost production
- Nursery production
- Support in the maintenance and general work of the green areas of the CEEC AWT
- Design and Updating of the Teaching Material
- Participation in dissemination activities
Environmental Education Program (PEA)
- Support in programmed environmental education activities
- Environmental education activities of the Blue Community Carbon Program are supported
- Environmental education activities of the Jorge Luis Poveda Alvarez Arboretum are supported
- Environmental education activities are supported in the surrounding schools
- Design and update of the teaching material
- Participation in dissemination activities
Volunteer work in Rural Tourism Community
- The standards of good practices of sustainability of the enterprises are supported
- It supports the design of bilingual visual materials within the projects (bathrooms, common areas, trails, etc.), and External Lettering
- Design of a comprehensive and sequential program to teach English classes
- Map the Ventures
Volunteer work in the forest and maintenance of the Interpretive Path Heliconia-CEEC-AWT
- Inventory and Monitoring of Species of fauna and flora
- Tools complementary to existing materials are identified
- Redesign of the Heliconia Trail according to the identified target group
- Inventory and Species Monitoring
- Update of the Interpretive Guide of the Heliconia Trail
Álvaro Wille Trejos Library CEEC-AWT (Osa Station)
- Generation of an inventory of the existing literature in the library
- Technical support in digitizing the library
- Perform activities alluding to the use of books within the station (Spanish and English)
You’ll share the accommodation with your fellow volunteers. Food is Costa Rican typical food cooked for you and prepared by a chef.
You’ll all eat together in a common space at certain hours. Breakfast is usually around 6-7am, lunch is around 12pm, and dinner is around 6 -7pm.
To find out more about our Project Locations read our Locations Page.
- First week’s fee: $US 649
- Every Additional Week: $US 299 (It does not matter many weeks you choose, this fee stays the same)
FEES EXPLAINED: Our organizational fee of around 299$ is included in the first week’s fee and covers the “behind the scenes costs”, such as staff salaries, office space rental, transaction and bank fees, and more. Our weekly fee for additional weeks covers the costs of your host family or project accommodation and food, the local staff on your project, and a donation to help with the daily running costs of the program you will help on.
NOT INCLUDED IN THE FEE: First and last night in San Jose in a hostel, travel to and from the international airport (airport shuttles are around 30$ each way to San Jose – We can set this up for you, just ask us during sign-up), travel to the project site (usually by public buses, which are from around 10-16$ one way), national/ International flights, travel insurance, visa costs, any additional food or snacks besides the host family meals, extra-curricular activities.
Biological Research Reviews
Susie – Monkey Research Project – January 2019
Susie Brown from United Kingdom (50 years old at the time) volunteered on a special Monkey Research Project that was going on in January through March of 2019. Read her review below, which you can also find on GoAbroad: I wanted to make sure that my contribution was...
Samantha’s Review & Blog – Biological Research Center
Samantha participated in our Biological Research Project for 1 month in July - August of 2016. This is her write up about her experiences: "It’s been about 2 and a half weeks since I got to Costa Rica, and I’m already dreading going home in just 11 days! I chose to...