Amphibian Researcher

The project

The Amphibian Projects aims to study critical in the area of conservation. Frogs have been dramatically impacted by climate change which makes them a priority to research and protect.

Volunteer work

• Tadpole Monitoring: IPBio collects tadpoles and monitors their development to study the embryological process as well as a the presence of a deadly fungus called Bd
• Amphibian Ethology in Captivity: IPBio has species of frogs in captivity to study their food preference and mating habits
  
• Amphibian inventories: IPBio wishes to understand the distribution of amphibians, understand their reproductive habits, track species composition and well-being as well as potential find new species. IPBio has 6 different sites each with 5 pitfalls each. Volunteers will need to open the pitfalls for 48 hours and visit the sites to collect data such as species, photograph, size, any diseases found or other relevant information for statistical analysis. This role demands volunteers who can deal with highly exhausting activities as a lot of hiking is required in difficult conditions.

Living at IPBio

Volunteers will stay at the Darwin Guest House, situated on the reserve itself, which accommodates up to 8 people in 2 rooms. This house has a bathroom with a hot shower and has a fully equipped kitchen where volunteers can cook. In addition, IPBio is in the process of constructing a new house to accommodate more volunteers, interns and researchers. It is the volunteer’s responsibility to maintain and clean the house; we take this very seriously. Shops are in the town of Iporanga 6km away from the reserve, which you can walk to or get a taxi, where there are various shops with all you will need. 

Every day you will wake up to the sound of birds, monkeys and frogs and can explore the reserves grounds. Our town is called the Cave Capital of Brazil so volunteers often visit our state parks to explore the caves.  Hike into the dense forest and visits to waterfalls are also common activities. Bouy cross, big balloons, are used to drift down the rivers, some of the river route are 3 hours long! After work volunteers can swim on the reserve deck, organize dinners, watch movies, read and go wildlife watching. On the weekend we often have a barbecue or organize dinner at a restaurant. Often there are social events or parties in the community that volunteers can go to.

Location

The Atlantic Forest stretches from the northeastern to the southern regions of Brazil and northern Argentina and southeastern Paraguay. Five hundred years ago, the Atlantic Forest of Brazil covered approximately 330 million acres, but today only 7% remains. In the Ribeira Valley, our region of the Atlantic Forest, we are at the footsteps of 21% of the 7% that is left, it being largest contiguous section of the Atlantic Forest. 

Despite the forests diminished state it still ranks as a global conservation priority. Although it is now just a small fraction of the size of the Amazon rainforest, the Atlantic Forest still harbors a range of biological diversity similar to that of the Amazon. The Atlantic Forest harbors around 2,200 species of birds, mammals, reptiles and amphibians – 5% of the vertebrates on Earth. This includes nearly 200 bird species found nowhere else. 

The Betary Reserve is located next to one of the most famous Brazilian State Parks named PETAR. The region is called the Cave Capital as it known for containing over 300 spectacular caves, some which are accessible to tourists.

A typical work day starts at 9:00 am and ends at 4:00 pm. 

Two days a week the tadpoles will be weighted, measured and photographed to indentify if they show the presence of the fungus Bd.

Two days a week are dedicated to setting up the camera in the terrariums with frogs in captivity and sorting the footage taken by a camera filming the animal 24/7 to identify its habits.

This role is often accompanied with small other tasks such as feeding the frogs and fish, conducting water monitoring tests and other smaller tasks.

Caves: Iporanga is called “The Cave Capital of Brazil” with over 400 caves in the town. Below are just the highlights.

• Casa da Pedra is the world’s largest cave entrance of 215 meters. The trip involves a 2-hour hike to the opening where there is a place to sit down and have a picnic and swim and then a hike back.
  
• Temimina Cave has a large opening in the ceiling illuminating its oddly shaped diagonal garden. Then you enter into a dark cave where at the end you find a natural shower hole.
  
• Nucleo Santana is a group of caves and is the most commonly visited as it has a wide range of different types of caves. In some caves you can swim.
  

Tubing/Boia Cross: is a sport where by you get on a big balloon and float down the river. There are various waterways you can do in Iporanga, some more radical and some in the big river which is very relaxing and can last 3 hours.

Cananeia: has various islands with dolphins swimming in between which are very easy to visualize. It is also known for its stunning beaches, awesome boat tours, great restaurants and the mangrove reserve where there are many crabs.

Waterfalls: Iporanga has many waterfalls. “Sem Fim” is a small waterfall walking distance from the reserve. “Vale das Ostras” has 12 large waterfalls in a row.

Quilombos: during the era of slavery many slaves would run away from the plantations and create settlements hidden in the forest. These communities live in relative isolation and you can visit their small towns. For some of the Quilombos the tours include travelling their by boat and having a traditional lunch at one of the families homes.

Social Events:

• Dinners: there are many nice restaurants were volunteers can have dinner, some more classy like Casarao and some with traditional Brazilian food. There is also a great fish restaurant. Often volunteer will eat out on the weekends.
  
• Town Parties: the are a couple of bars in town, some have pool tables and some have dancing areas. On holidays, there are usually town festivals on the streets.
  
• BBQ: it is very common to have a BBQ on the weekend which is often accompanied with the traditional Brazilian drink called Caipirinha.