Reef Explorer Offering Climate Change, Marine Volunteer Opportunities

Looking for an opportunity to broaden your knowledge on your career pathway, Reef Explorer is giving aspiring climate change officers, marine scientist or ocean related field an opportunity to be part of their programme.

Reef Explorer is offering volunteer opportunities for Fijian students, recent graduates, and other interested Fijian residents to assist in their coral restoration programme during the 2018 field season from April to September 2018.

This is in support of the 3rd International Year of Coral Reefs.

Globally, coral reefs are in a severe decline due to multiple factors including overfishing, coastal development, thermal stress, disease, and others.

Their (Reef Explorer) coral restoration programme is based at Votua village along Fiji’s beautiful Coral Coast.

It is part of a larger community-based coral reef management effort undertaken in conjunction with the traditional fishing rights owners of the Korolevu-i-wai district to address the threats facing local reefs.

“Our coral restoration programme aims to enhance reef ecosystem function by restoring coral populations while building coral community resilience and diversity,” programme director Pita Bonito said.

According to Mr Bonito volunteers will have the opportunity to learn more about coral reefs and community-based marine conservation efforts in Fiji while working with our Fijian team to:

n Out plant nursery-reared corals at restoration sites,

n Reattach wild coral colonies and large fragments found detached from the reef,

n Restock our nurseries with newly propagate coral colonies, and

n Conduct maintenance on coral nurseries and at our restoration sites. No prior experience is required, but volunteers must be aged 18 or older, comfortable swimmers in the ocean, and excited about spending several hours a day in the water working on the project.

“All water-based activities will be conducted at snorkeling depths in the sheltered lagoon - we will not be using SCUBA gear during this project,” he said.

“Volunteers may be assigned additional activities to support our operation during their stay.”

Project activities run from Monday to Friday with, weather permitting, roughly 2.5 hours to a maximum of four hours in the water. Volunteers will have weekends free to explore the beautiful surrounding area.

Volunteers will be accommodated at the beach-side field station where they will have access to kitchen and laundry facilities.

“While we have had great interest in our programme, we can normally only accommodate up to two volunteers at a time (three maximum if two are willing to share the larger room with a bunk bed).

Male volunteers are accommodated with other males, and females with other females at the field station.

Volunteers should plan to arrive on Sunday and leave the following Saturday as field activities will run from Monday - Friday.

Cost: $330 a week.

Cost includes:

• Accommodations at the field station (own bedroom) and use of shared bathroom, kitchen and laundry facilities (6 nights Sunday - Saturday),
• Tools, snorkelling equipment (if needed), and all materials for project activities,
• Transportation with the host team to/from our field work sites,
• Logistical support and all related training for restoration activities, and
• Volunteer will be responsible for bringing/preparing their own food, and travel to/from Votua village for the programme.