储蓄十字河大猩猩和黑猩猩在凸轮eroon

Volunteer in the Highland Rainforests of South West Cameroon. Spend two or more weeks volunteering on conservation projects saving these great apes from extinction. Students receive 20% discount!

The Cross River gorilla could become extinct within 10 years, unless we act now. Volunteering on this conservation project in Cameroon will take you to work on the frontline of conservation, taking part in surveys of the montane rainforests – some of which have never been surveyed before – and in community education and awareness-raising activities.

South West Cameroon harbours two of the most threatened African great apes: the critically endangered Cross River gorilla – the rarest of the gorilla sub-species with 250-300 individuals left in the wild – and the Nigeria-Cameroon chimpanzee – also the most endangered chimpanzee subspecies in Africa. They are both keystone species in the montane forest ecosystems of the border region of Nigeria and Cameroon.

The expedition will focus on great apes surveys and education and awareness raising activities. Each survey period generally will last two-four weeks (with breaks every three-five days) – the sampling design of which will be established prior to the start of the surveys. Former local hunters have been employed by the project to serve as field guides.

Your life during the surveys will be nomadic, breaking camp each day to move to the next site – with the help of field guides and porters. You’ll cover steep slopes, sometimes making for extreme hiking and trekking, as you follow family groups of gorillas and chimpanzees. You’ll look for animals and nest sites, signs of feeding and habitat use, documenting observations through photography and GPS coordinates. You may encounter other endangered primates and hundreds of bird species and other wildlife.