Nature Across Borders
Description: You are interested in nature conservation and you are passionate about being outside in nature? You like working as a team and get to know new people with a similar lifestyle? We are looking for motivated volunteers, which help us doing nature conservation work in both national parks. The local partners, National Parks Thayatal and Podyjí oversee the protection and ecological development of their respective regions, with their particular biodiversity. Some areas in Thayatal and Podyjí need ongoing management to form sustainable habitats for rare species. Meadows and diverse dry grassland areas, need to be taken care of to preserve them and their ecosystem functions.
Type of Work: We will remove invasive plants to prevent irreversible anthropogenic effects on the ecosystem. Secondly, we will mow or rake dry grassland areas and selectively remove bushes and small trees to prevent the forest from overgrowing these species-rich open habitats. We will also have time to get to know each other and enjoy the early autumn in Austria and the Czech Republic.
Study Theme: You will gather knowledge of local habitats with their flora and fauna as well as their mandatory management, including the challenges faced. Furthermore, you will gain hands-on experience in maintaining dry grasslands and managing invasive species.
Accommodation: At Thayatal National Park you will be staying in the Wildcat Camp. The facility is equipped with bedrooms for up to 6 persons with bathrooms, a common room and kitchen. During time in Podyjí National Park, you will stay in Havraníky in an old school. The building belongs to the National Park and is equipped with two dormitories up to 12 persons, a bathroom, a common room and a kitchen.
Requirements: We will work 4-5 days a week for six hours a day with breaks in between. The work will be physical and in steep terrain. Therefore, some basic fitness as well as solid ankle-high hiking boots are required. Be prepared for hot or rainy weather, penetrating the bushes or water wading. PLEASE make sure that you are healthy enough to participate.
Approximate Location: The conservation area of Thayatal and Podyjí National Park covers part of the Thaya Valley river landscape. While cutting through the Bohemian Massif the river Thaya created an enormously diverse landscape along the river. Mainly the area consists of diverse forest but there are also meadows, dry grasslands and, as the name suggests, aquatic habitats like the river Thaya or Fugnitz and some other trickels.
Notes: Please kindly note that there is an additional incoming fee of 50 Euros for all volunteers applying through Partner organisations or Contacts of the SCI network. Check the status here: https://bit.ly/3vhBD5J. This fee covers hosting costs, insurance, a small travel fund to enable disadvantaged volunteers to join projects and administration costs and is to be paid on arrival at the project or online directly to the hosting branch. For volunteers coming through SCI Branches and Groups there is no additional incoming fee, since the costs covered by the additional fee are included in the amount paid to the sending branch.
If this incoming fee exceeds your financial ability, please make a comment in your application and we will get back to you.
Camp Photographs
