GIVING NATURE A HAND 3.0

CODE: PT-IPJ 10.9

Work:

The volunteering tasks focus on ecosystem restoration and include a variety of activities: pruning young trees and managing pine and other native species to accelerate their growth; creating and maintaining access paths for volunteers and visitors; restoring riparian vegetation; building water runoff barriers with local materials to improve soil and water infiltration; and controlling invasive plants like Acacia dealbata, which degrades local ecosystems. Control methods involve pulling small trees and ring barking larger ones. Volunteers will also help with camera trapping, setting up and retrieving cameras to capture wildlife photos and videos, with results shared afterward via email. Additionally, participants will identify and record fauna and flora using the iNaturalist app.

Accomodation and food

Volunteers will be camping. There is a central facility with showers, and WC for women and man, with all basic hygiene facilities. There is another central facility for socializing, with board and card games, and a small bar/shop. The camping site has internet available, as well as outdoor barbecue and eating tables. There is no kitchen or laundry.MONTIS will provide regular meals, with the possibility of vegetarian by request. These include breakfast, lunch, afternoon snack and dinner. Lunch will be served on the field as a packed lunch.

Location and leisure

The location of the Workcamp is in a remote rural area. Volunteers will camp in Bioparque de Carvalhais (https://bioparque.org). The closest village is 2 km from the camp. MONTIS will have a van available to support the needed transportation. The intervention area distances from the campsite are about 20 minutes walking

Project hosted by

The work camp aims to unite young people from diverse nationalities, cultures, and backgrounds to enhance biodiversity, restore degraded ecosystems, and improve landscape fire resilience. Activities will take place in an ecologically degraded and sensitive area managed by MONTIS in Carvalhais.Participants, guided by monitors and specialists, will gain skills in nature conservation and ecosystem restoration through a learn by doing approach. Tasks include individual and group activities, fauna workshops, and leisure events to foster intercultural interaction and linguistic learning.Expected nature outputs include improved vegetation growth, habitat conditions, fire resilience, soil quality, and water infiltration, as well as fauna and flora identification recorded on iNaturalist.

Directions to meeting point

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