We’re looking for dedicated and enthusiastic individuals to join our Living Seas team based at the Cardigan Bay Marine Wildlife Centre. Volunteers will gain valuable experience whilst helping us to collect data on the marine mammals of Cardigan Bay, run our visitor centre and inspire the public through community engagement events.
What You Will Gain
Joining the Living Seas volunteer team is a fantastic opportunity for you to carry out marine mammal research and become involved in environmental education and our awareness raising work. You’ll learn about the marine species of Cardigan Bay and gain experience in field work, processing data, environmental education, community engagement and more!
Past volunteers have gone on to further education, work as Marine Mammal Observers and to work for other conservation or governmental organisations.
The Volunteering Role
Volunteers will assist with our vital Living Seas research and community engagement work. Volunteer tasks include (but not limited too) –
- Land based marine mammal surveys (daily)
- Boat based marine megafauna surveys *
- Running our visitor centre and inspiring visitors
- Entering and checking research data
- Updating sightings information on our website/social media
- Assisting with community engagement events
- Conducting beach cleans
- There will also be the opportunity to assist with other tasks e.g. fundraising, acoustic analysis, writing articles and creating Vlogs.
* Boat trips are run by an external company who we collaborate with. They are weather dependent and volunteers take turns to join trips to act as on-board researcher. During times of bad weather you will spend more time carrying out shore-based activities.
Volunteer Skills/Qualities
- A commitment to volunteering
- Research and surveying experience
- ICT skills, including MS Office and GIS
- Interest/experience of engaging with the public
- A mature and responsible attitude
- Proactive with the ability to work independently and unsupervised
- Flexible approach to work as you will volunteer outside of normal office hours
- An interest and knowledge of British marine mammals (desirable)
- A background in biology/marine biology (desirable)
Please note that enthusiasm and passion for our work and the marine environment is as valued as experience, since full training is provided.
Volunteers will receive training in marine species identification and observation, survey techniques, data processing and community engagement.
Volunteer Dates 2020
Volunteer positions are available on the dates below. You must be able to volunteer for an entire block and priority will be given to those who can volunteer for more than one block.
- Block A – 23rd March – 27th April (5 weeks)
- Block B – 27th April –1st June ( 5 weeks)