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Volunteer Conservation and Environment Overseas in Mexico - Turtles, Crocodiles and Lagoon Bio-diversity Projects
Our Conservation Project in Mexico is based on the beach on the Pacific coast at Campemento Tecoman in the state of Colima. This research center is a three hour drive from our main office and base in Guadalajara.
The camp is a unique location for volunteering abroad. It offers you the chance to work alongside a group of Projects Abroad volunteers and staff, as well as local experts on a variety of conservation and environmental projects.
Three main conservation projects make up our Conservation in Mexico program, and run throughout the year:
- Turtle conservation
- Crocodile conservation
- Wildlife study at a spectacular coastal lagoon
“During my overseas voluntary work placement in Mexico I patrolled the beach, released turtles and collected thousands of turtle eggs so they could hatch. I was completely in charge of writing up the collection sheets into the record book. For me, the most memorable experience was seeing the baby turtles emerge from the sand and arrive safely in the ocean. This meant our hard work volunteering overseas had been a success.” Helena Carey – Conservation Volunteer
Volunteering on a Conservation Project in Mexico: Turtle Conservation
The Olive Ridley sea-turtle breeds on the Pacific coast of Mexico. It has become an endangered species due to human activities such as trawler-fishing, poaching and coastal development. This, coupled with the fact that turtle eggs are still considered a delicacy and even an aphrodisiac in Mexico, creates a very hostile environment for these creatures.
Volunteers are involved in patrolling a 30km stretch of beach on foot and by quad-bike. You’ll work mainly at night – when the turtles lay their eggs – alongside a member of our local staff and will be looking out for any adult turtles on the beach, or any distinctive recent turtle tracks which indicate that eggs have just been laid. We then collect the eggs and return with them to a safe area near our camp, called a ‘corral’. Here you re-bury the eggs at exactly the same depth as the turtle would bury them.
Some nights you will be on shift at the corral, watching the nests that were buried about six weeks earlier. The experience of then watching the tiny hatchlings as they crawl out of the nest, and protecting them as they head for the ocean, is incredible.
There are turtles all year round in Central America, but the high season is from May to December. However, we are finding increasing numbers of rarer turtle species, such as Green Turtles and the gigantic Leatherback Turtles nesting on the beach in all seasons.
The camp is also home to a small number of turtles kept in tanks, which staff and volunteers found injured in the past. Volunteers help to clean the tanks and feed and look after the turtles.
Volunteer Conservation in Mexico: Crocodile Conservation
The newest element of our conservation work in Mexico focuses on crocodile conservation. We work with two endangered species of crocodile, the American Crocodile (Crocodylus Acutus) and the smaller Morelet's Crocodile (Crocodylus Moreletii). Our aim is to create a crocodile-release program to re-introduce these endangered species to the local area.
The crocodile park is located about ten minutes from our main camp and is currently home to several pools of baby crocodiles. Volunteers are involved in a variety of work, including helping to prepare food for the crocodiles and conducting a population census of the number of wild crocodiles that inhabit the lagoon next to the crocodile park.
Volunteers help to improve the current crocodile park site, assisting with painting and maintenance. Research is also undertaken into the location of crocodile nesting sites. Please note that we work with local crocodile experts and a vet; volunteers would not be in direct contact with any adult crocodiles themselves!
Volunteer Conservation in Mexico: Lagoon Bio-diversity Project
Directly inland from the beach and our camp is a large lagoon and wilderness area home to a diversity of wildlife, including mammals, reptiles and birds.
Projects Abroad volunteers are conducting a biodiversity study into the lagoon ecosystem, recording and monitoring the wildlife in this area. The aim is to discover the ecological value of the lagoon for future preservation of this delicate environment. We are also involved with more advanced wildlife behavior studies.
Volunteers are taught how to identify birds, reptiles and mammals, and regularly go out on the lagoon by boat to gather data and conduct studies of the local wildlife. Information is recorded on data sheets and then entered into a computer database back at the camp.
This initial information will provide evidence of exactly what is to be found within the ecosystem and what seasonality is involved. Once this information has been collected and processed we can move on to more detailed studies in conjunction with local biologists and zoologists.
We run Conservation Awareness Projects to inform the local community about coastal conservation issues. Volunteers take part in puppet shows featuring turtles, poachers and conservationists!
Local school children are also shown around our camp, where volunteers run workshops by the turtle tanks. The children get the chance to see a variety of turtle species. Such activities make the whole experience really memorable for everyone involved.
Volunteer Conservation in Mexico: Life and Experiences
While volunteering abroad in Mexico on the Projects Abroad Conservation and Environment Project, you’ll live in a tented camp on the edge of the beach with other volunteers and local staff. The camp has a central concrete building with clean toilets and showers, a kitchen, a work area and a simple shelter over the tents. It will soon feel like home!
Food is provided by a local cook, with a late lunch being the main meal of the day. There is a weekly work roster and this includes taking your turn at doing the washing up and sweeping the camp – there are all sorts of aspects to overseas voluntary work! You'll also have time to relax or read, and many volunteers invest in one of Mexico's best inventions – the hammock!
“Mexico has so much to offer, to all ranges of visitors, and will always remain particularly special to me, especially the Conservation project site. I really did have the time of my life and learned a lot, ranging from how to spot a turtle’s nest, and also a bit of Spanish, to quite different things, such as independence, how to adapt to whole new situations, and that I actually can cope with challenges I wasn’t sure I could.
I met a wide range of people, all of which quickly became my friends, and all the Projects Abroad staff were always constantly friendly, and lots of fun! Mexico and the Conservation Project brought out the best in me, and my time there gave me some invaluable life experience that I will never forget!”
Sophie Woodard – Conservation Volunteer
“I wasn’t sure what to expect from the turtle camp out in the middle of nowhere, but as time went by I fell in love with it more and more each day… Words do no justice to the views and scenery out there, one of the most beautiful places I’ve ever been.
Watching a turtle lay its eggs, let alone incubating them and seeing them hatch, before watching them return into the ocean is one of the most amazing things I’ve ever done. It’s one of those things you see on TV at home, and think to yourself, “Wow, it’d be cool to be there.” In truth, it’s more than cool. I’ve learned more about turtles than I thought there was to know about them, and I’m left in awe at the continuing struggle of an endangered species. Coming here has taught me so much, not only in life experience, but also shown me why respect for nature is not only important, but necessary.
I hope that if you choose to come to Mexico, you’ll have as wonderful a time as I have.”
Jim “Jaimito” Kelly – Conservation Volunteer
This project is available for two weeks if you don't have time to join us for a month or more. This project has been selected by our local colleagues as being suitable for short term volunteering for both the host community and the volunteer. Although you will gain a valuable cultural insight and work intensely on a variety of conservation activities please be aware that you may not be able to make the same impact as someone volunteering for a longer period. The amount of turtles that you see may also be limited, especially during the low season between December and April.
All volunteers on Teaching, Care, Culture & Community, Medicine & Healthcare, Journalism, Animal Care or Spanish placements in Mexico now have the opportunity to add a 7-Day Conservation Project to the end of their main placement.
Click here for more information
- Essential Arrival, Back Up and Country Information for Mexico
- Meet Our Colleagues in Mexico
- Volunteer Stories from Mexico
- Photo galleries from Mexico
- Videos from Mexico
- Newsletters from Mexico
- What we provide
- Safety and backup
- Prices for Mexico