Planet Conservation

Overview

Description

Planet Conservation is an voluntourism program in Costa Rica, Panama, and Colombia. We work with volunteers, interns, thesis students, and travelers who want to have an authentic experience and help the communities they visit have sustainable livelihoods while conserving natural resources.

Rural sustainable development and biodiversity conservation is the goal of our environmental, social, educational, and cultural programs. Each one is developed through agreements with local organizations that are working to build communities and generating direct benefits for conservation and human well-being.

Participants gain a unique experience from getting involved with projects, communities, and cultures in diverse ways. They enrich their lives while helping to develop activities that foster environmental conservation.

With Planet Conservation, you can alternate between volunteering, tourism, and adventure activities to learn more about the countries we work in. Some of the main activities we offer are:

• Conservation and research focusing on flagship and/or endangered species including whales, dolphins, sea turtles, manatees, jaguars, monkeys, and other tropical forest and marine species;
• Environmental education programs;
• Co-existence or contact with indigenous communities;
• Social work with children at risk, children with physical limitations, or vulnerable populations (children, women heads of household, seniors);
• Homestays with a local family;
• Camping with people from different countries and cultures;
• Rural sustainable tourism;
• Hiking and horseback riding in the rainforest;
• Beach, forest, jungle, or desert projects;
• Extreme sports such as whitewater rafting, surfing, rappelling, canoeing, para gliding, scuba diving, and more;
• Bridges over the tropical forest canopy;
• Day and night tours to mangroves, beach patrols for sea turtle conservation, serpentariums, and one of the largest arthropod collections in the world; and
• Tours to see cetaceans, poison dart frogs, monkeys, crocodiles, toucans, macaws, tapirs, and more.

Making a Difference

Number of employees: 2

Percentage of local employees: 100%

Our organization aims to create sustainable alternative livelihoods by strengthening social responsibility. Our vision is to be the lead organization for cultural exchanges with an emphasis on volunteer work in the areas of conservation, education, cultures, and social work with vulnerable populations.

We are based in Costa Rica and form agreements and alliances with organizations that share our principles. We try to strengthen grassroots organizations so that rural communities living in regions with high biodiversity can have sustainable alternative livelihoods.

There are many activities and regions where you can help and there are different ways to participate. We have agreements with more than 25 organizations in the three countries where we work. We do research and conservation projects as well as projects to rescue and reintroduce endangered species. We also promote projects for environmental education, reforestation, recycling, and the improvement of environmentally-friendly practices. We work with national parks, indigenous communities, research institutions, environmental organizations, and educational centers.

The people who participate in our programs help local families, lodges, and campgrounds that need human and economic resources to continue their projects.

Rates

Costs vary by country, program, and the interests of the person. For example:

• $250 per week for social, cultural, and educational projects.
• $300 per week for environmental and conservation projects.

The minimum time for each program is one week, and three weeks are required in some cases.

We have activities for groups and offer special rates.

For more information about rates, please visit:

• www.planetconservation.org/prices.html (available in English).
• www.planetconservation.org/web%20espanol/precio.html (available in Spanish).
• www.planetconservation.org/web%20aleman/preise.html (available in German).

Getting There

Nearest international airport: San Jose (SJO)

Travel time to nearest airport: 3.5 hours

The destinations and itineraries are developed according to the interests of the traveler, the program(s) chosen, and the country or countries where s/he wants to help.

Additional Information

Date This Information Was Provided

June 2012.

Photos courtesy of Planet Conservation, Costa Rica, for SustainableTrip.org.