Description Interns and researchers on our conservation team will work in the communities of Santa Rita and Alto Tena to monitor conservation buffer zones around the Colonso Protected Forest. The Colonso Forest is a 10,000 hectare (22,000 acre) reserve of primary rainforest that serves as the water source for the towns of Tena and Archidona.
Project Objectives This project aims to conserve 10,000 hectares of forest by creating "buffer zones" of guayusa production to mitigate against extractive activities within the area of conservation. Through participatory research, interns will collaborate with farmers and community members to create a monitoring system of extractive activities. Interns and researchers will also work on the policy level with local governments to assess the feasibility of generating payments for ecosystem services through a water tax fund.
Qualifications This internship is geared towards undergraduate and graduate students majoring in environmental science, policy, business, agriculture, or a related field. Proficiency in English and Spanish is required. Experience in Latin America and/or working in a rural setting is a plus. Intern Duties
- Work with communities to plant guayusa and other tree species in buffer zones.
- Create a baseline monitoring system of extractive economic and non-economic activities that occur in communal forest reserves and protected areas.
- Implement a household-level economic analysis of agricultural and non-agricultural economic activities.
- Use GIS to create maps that outline areas of production, conservation, and communal reserves.
- Create a feasibility study for generating payments for ecosystem services through a local water tax fund.
Winter Internship: January 7th - March 1st 2013
Spring Internship: April 1st- May 24th 2013
Summer Internship: June 17th - August 23rd 2013
Costs: 8 weeks room and program fees………..$1600
10 weeks room and program fees............$2000
Additional weeks……………………….....$200/week
These costs cover room and program fees in Tena, Ecuador. Food and travel are not included. Runa has a limited amount of scholarship funds available to go towards these costs if applicants have exhausted other funding opportunities.
For more information: www.fundacionruna.org
http://www.fundacionruna.org/forest-conservation-and-watershed-management-internship.html
