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Volunteer

Persepolis

Every year, thousands of volunteers participate in restoration and research projects at World Heritage sites around the globe.

After 30 years of spreading the word about the importance of World Heritage Conservation, the message is finally getting across. Today, the possibilities for volunteering are as diverse as they are endless. There is something for everyone, from travelling across the globe to help save the whales to cyber-volunteering to doing data entry or public outreach. Learn more about volunteer projects, how to volunteer, and opportunities to make a difference.

You can also contact volunteer organizations directly for more information on how you can help.

Protecting the World Heritage sites inscribed on the List of World Heritage in Danger is crucial.

A variety of dangers from natural causes or human intervention continually threaten sites around the globe. Natural disasters such as earthquakes or floods are as menacing as pollution, war, poaching, unplanned construction, and uncontrolled tourism. Preservation measures are imperative not only for sites already on the In Danger List but for all World Heritage sites. Through volunteering, average citizens and specialized professionals can do their part to ensure that these natural and cultural wonders will continue to awe and inspire future generations.

What is a volunteer project?

Volunteering in itself is always a rewarding experience all around-for those giving their time and energy as much as for those receiving it.

Innumerable opportunities exist for volunteers to focus their efforts on helping environmental watchdogs, nature conservationists or architectural restorers at sites inscribed on the World Heritage List, as well as assisting researchers with scientific studies in ecology, zoology, archaeology, and other relevant disciplines (e.g. anthropology, economics, social studies, etc.)

Volunteer coordinators range from large international organizations with over 30 years of experience and an extensive network of partners, to small non-governmental organizations with only a handful of employees. The common denominator among all of these non-profit volunteer organizations is their commitment to ensuring the protection of World Heritage sites.

How can I volunteer at a World Heritage site?

No experience is necessary for most volunteer projects, just a willingness to learn and a commitment to participate.

Volunteers usually have to be over 18 years of age. Food and lodging is arranged by the volunteer organization, but volunteers are expected to pay a share of the costs as well as their transportation to the site. Short and long term projects are available; however, most last 2 weeks and include plenty of occasions for free time and excursions. Most organizations coordinate assignments well in advance, so it is recommended to submit an application form up to a year in advance. Since many assignments are in remote locations, volunteers are expected to respect local customs.

Volunteer opportunities

For anyone interested in becoming a part of the action, volunteer opportunities abound at World Heritage sites around the globe.

Africa | The Americas | Arab States | Asia and the Pacific | Europe

Africa

Restoring archaeological sites in Zimbabwe and Tanzania

Two ongoing volunteer work camps organized by the French association CHAM, involve restoring historic monuments at the archaeological sites of Khami Ruins National Monument in Zimbabwe and the Ruins of Kilwa Kisiwani in the United Republic of Tanzania.

Both of these World Heritage sites were once busy centers for trade. Khami harbours pre-16th century objects from Europe and China, while the East African port of Kilwa Kisiwani is where merchants traded gold, silver, pearls, perfumes, Arabian crockery, Persian earthenware and Chinese porcelain from the 13th to the 16th centuries.

One-month projects in Khami focus on restoring the ruins. Volunteers will be trained in conservation techniques for earth and stone structures.

In Kilwa, volunteers can work on three-month projects ranging from creating a welcome center and museum, building jetties for boats, educating the local community about heritage, and reinforcing legislation to protecting historic monuments, training tour guides and performing research.

Founded in 1980, CHAM (Chantiers Histoire et Architecture Médiévales) coordinates restoration and conservation efforts for buildings from the Middle Ages, many of which have been abandoned over time.

The Americas

Patrolling the shores of the Galapagos

Throughout the year, opportunities exist with the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society for volunteers with basic mariner/boating and Spanish-speaking skills to patrol the Galapagos National Park Marine Reserve in Ecuador.

Living aboard a patrol boat, volunteers can assist Park rangers with investigating and documenting violations of international laws, regulations and treaties protecting marine wildlife species.

For those who believe in the cause but don't have the time or possibility to participate first hand, another way to help Sea Shepherd is to donate airline "frequent flyer" miles to help transport volunteers.

The Sea Shepherd Conservation Society is a non-profit, non-governmental organization (NGO) dedicated to protecting and conserving marine species and ecosystems. Sea Shepherd currently has Agreements with the governments of Ecuador and Costa Rica to survey the seas surrounding the Galapagos and Cocos Islands, both UNESCO World Heritage sites.

Excavating dinosaurs in Argentina

Earthwatch Institute volunteers can assist with excavating some of the world's earliest dinosaurs at Triassic Park, Ischigualasto Provincial Park. Located in the desert region on the western border of central Argentina, Ischigualasto/Talampaya Natural Parks contain the most complete continental fossil record known from the Triassic Period (245-208 million years ago).

Working against the backdrop of a geological formation that has been dubbed the "Valley of the Moon," volunteers prospect sandstone and claystone formations for fossils from a wide range of ancestors of mammals, dinosaurs and plants. Participants also excavate and map the finds, wrap specimens in plaster, screenwash sediments, catalogue plentiful bones, and map geological features. Volunteers are trained in the details of orientation with a compass, global positioning system (GPS) mapping, geologic features, and reptilian anatomy and taxonomy.

Earthwatch Institute promotes sustainable conservation of natural resources and cultural heritage by creating partnerships between scientists, educators and the general public. Each year, Earthwatch mobilizes 720 teams in over 50 countries, with the help of 4,000 volunteers of 46 nationalities.

Unravelling the mystery of Rapa Nui

Also known as "Easter Island", Rapa Nui National Park in Chile is home to hundreds of enormous stone figures (moai) that quietly testify to a vanished civilization. For the past 13 years, Dr. Christopher Stevenson has worked with Earthwatch volunteers to discover how and when Easter Islanders brought about their society's ruin.

Stevenson's research aims to find out what prehistoric garden remains indicate about possible crop failures as well as what abandoned structures reveal about the group size and status of those who used them. The prehistoric houses, earth ovens, gardens, chicken houses, and fields found across the landscape-along with an occasional obsidian spear point (mataa)-reveal a history of environmental degradation and social dissolution.

Participants conduct surface surveys of house sites and dig test-pits in gardens to document settlement distribution and the evolution of farming technologies. Under the ever-watchful gaze of the moai, volunteers can help lift the island's past out of obscurity, perhaps with lessons for modern societies.

Earthwatch Institute promotes sustainable conservation of natural resources and cultural heritage by creating partnerships between scientists, educators and the general public. Each year, Earthwatch mobilizes 720 teams in over 50 countries, with the help of 4,000 volunteers of 46 nationalities.

Volunteering at national parks across America

Participating in cave restoration and research, and roving cave trails to answer visitor questions are just some of the volunteer opportunities awaiting at Carlsbad Caverns National Park (USA) with its network of over 100 limestone caves.

Volunteers can choose from a wide range of assignments at the 376 units of the United States National Park System, including Yellowstone (the world's first national park, which is also on the UNESCO List of World Heritage in Danger), the Grand Canyon, Hawaii Volcanoes, and the Great Smoky Mountains. Opportunities also exist to volunteer at cultural sites such as the ancestral Pueblo Indian dwellings at Mesa Verde or Cahokia Mounds State Historic Site, the largest pre-Columbian settlement north of Mexico.

Both the National Park Service "Volunteers-in-Parks" Program and the USDA Forest Service "Youth, Senior and Volunteer" Program regularly solicit volunteers to assist with safeguarding and management efforts at parks across America-including the 15 national parks inscribed on the World Heritage List.

Promoting the sustainable use of coastal and marine resources

Volunteers are invited to work on a variety of programs at the Belize Barrier-Reef Reserve System in conjunction with Green Reef, a small, private, non-profit organization, founded in 1996.

The coastal area of the Belize Barrier-Reef is a significant habitat for threatened species, including marine turtles, manatees and the American marine crocodile. Green Reef Volunteers help to maintain a balance between enjoying this rich resource and minimizing the human impact on it. Projects range from mooring buoys or monitoring coral, to working in the Bird Sanctuary or Indigenous Plant Nursery, to participating in community outreach and environmental education campaigns.

A scientific research and educational organization dedicated to the promotion of sustainable use and conservation of Belize's marine and coastal resources, Green Reef aims to promote interest in the wildlife and conservation of Belize's natural resources among students, teachers, dive guides, fishermen and the general public.

Arab States

Conserving the Médina of Fez

Working with the French organization Rempart under the direction of the Moroccan Ministry of Culture and Communication, French-speaking volunteers can participate in two-week summer restoration work assignments on what is considered one of the architectural jewels of the world. The Médina of Fez, inscribed on the World Heritage List in 1981, is the spiritual and intellectual capital of Morocco.

Meeting and working with local craftsmen, participants will learn the art of plastering and carpentry, which has been practiced for a thousand years in this ancient city.

Rempart organizes a wide range of summer work camps at hundreds of historic monuments and heritage sites around France as well as at international sites.

Asia and the Pacific

Diving along the Great Barrier Reef to help AIDS research and threatened coral

Certified SCUBA divers and snorkelers can volunteer at the Great Barrier Reef to identify corals with promising new fluorescent proteins for both medical and ecological applications. Located on Australia's northeast coast, the Great Barrier Reef contains the world's largest collection of coral reefs, with 400 types of coral, 1,500 species of fish and 4,000 types of mollusc.

Dividing their time between night dives to identify fluorescent animals, day dives to collect samples, and lab work, Earthwatch volunteers work directly with an expert in underwater imaging to study fluorescent proteins, molecules that absorb light of one color and then emit light of another color. These compounds are important research tools for studies on diseases such as AIDS, Alzheimer's disease, and cancer, but they are also critical to the survival of coral reef organisms, and may prove useful in monitoring the health of threatened coral communities.

Earthwatch Institute promotes sustainable conservation of natural resources and cultural heritage by creating partnerships between scientists, educators and the general public. Each year, Earthwatch mobilizes 720 teams in over 50 countries, with the help of 4,000 volunteers of 46 nationalities.

Europe

Safeguarding the Island of Lazaretto Nuovo in Venice

Rempart coordinates three volunteer projects on the Island of Lazaretto Nuovo, one of the 118 islands spread across the Venice Lagoon in Italy. Under the direction of a local restoration group, Italian and English-speaking volunteers work on building restoration and tourism management, ceramics conservation and archaeological digs.

The first project focuses on the upkeep and management of the island, including renovating buildings, repairing surrounding walls and footpaths, as well as welcoming visitors to the site.

The second project is based around a workshop on the restoration of ceramic tiles found on archaeological digs. Participants are guided through the history of ceramics and techniques, a study of their patterns, designs and classifications, as well as analysing the causes of deterioration.

The third project allows volunteers to participate in archaeological digs on the Island, which are aimed at restoring the base of the Lazaret (ancient quarantine hospital). Participants are trained to use archaeological equipment and tools, and can learn about stratigraphy, classifying and recording objects.

Rempart organizes a wide range of summer work camps at hundreds of historic monuments and heritage sites around France as well as at international sites.

Studying lake ecosystems in Siberia

Situated in southeast Siberia in the Russian Federation, the 3,15-million ha. Lake Baikal is the oldest (25 million years) and deepest (1 637 m) of the world's lakes. It contains 20 percent of the world's surface unfrozen freshwater reserve.

Lake Baikal is one of the most biologically diverse lakes on earth, with more than 1,700 species of animals and plants found nowhere else on Earth, including the Baikal fresh-water seal, whose origins remain a mystery.

Protecting it means understanding how it works, and what human activities threaten it. For the fifth season in a row, teams of Earthwatch Volunteers perform baseline monitoring of the composition and type of contaminants in the lake. Based in a research boat on the lake, volunteers use plankton nets to sample the bottom of the food chain; set gillnets to collect fish; cruise the shorelines observing wildlife, and search for potential sites for permanent monitoring stations and nature reserves.

Earthwatch Institute promotes sustainable conservation of natural resources and cultural heritage by creating partnerships between scientists, educators and the general public. Each year, Earthwatch mobilizes 720 teams in over 50 countries, with the help of 4,000 volunteers of 46 nationalities.