There is an opportunity to volunteer for VESS. If you are Australian and have experience in ecotourism or citizen science conservation programmes then you may be interested in this assignment. Here is a description of the position:

Take a walk on the wild side and help conserve Vanuatu’s threatened species and ecosystems whilst improving the livelihoods of the local community!

Tourism is a large sector of the economy in Vanuatu and much of it is based on or takes place in the natural environment. Therefore we see engaging with the tourism sector as important for protecting the natural resources. Tourism can contribute to the conservation of threatened species if conducting in a manner sensitive the requirements of those species. This requires knowledge of the biology and ecology of these animals and plants and the possible threats to their survival including climate change. Many actors in the tourism industry have little knowledge of the best practices and therefore are unaware that their businesses could be damaging to the environment. This volunteer assignment is essential to bring expertise and experience so the VESS team can be mentored on how to best engage with the tourism industry to encourage people to use best practice in their businesses. This will ensure that their customers leave the smallest environmental footprint on Vanuatu during their stay and will enhance their experience. Diving with dugong in Vanuatu

In Australia and other developed countries, citizen science has become very popular with the public as they feel they are contributing to the knowledge base and to conservation efforts. However there are few citizen scientists in Vanuatu. We would like to engage the community more in science and the wonder of the natural world. Participation will raise awareness of the plight of the flora and fauna of Vanuatu particularly in the face of climate change and will inspire conservation efforts.

The details of the assignment can be found here

If you are interested find out how to apply via this link.