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https://www.charityjob.co.uk/volunteer-jobs...e/413694?tsId=1Malaysia Marine Research Programme By FrontierJob DescriptionMalaysia is a paradise of lush forests, pristine beaches and tropical islands. World renowned for its diversity of wildlife and people, this incredible country offers visitors a wealth of activities and fascinating things to see and do. The result of this fantastic melting-pot of culture is a relaxed, open-minded way of life, and the Malaysian people are famous for their hospitality. If you can picture yourself living and working on a tropical island, contributing towards ground-breaking conservation research, whilst sampling the fantastic Malay cuisine, then this beautiful country is the place for you.
Based in the beautiful Perhentian Islands, which are often described as “Thailand 20 years ago”, this project makes a valuable contribution towards the protection of the spectacularly rich and diverse coral reefs which encircle the islands. The focus of the project is in capacity building and empowering the local community to take ownership for protecting their own precious natural resources. Learn how to dive and take an active role in the conservation of this unique, enchanting environment by conducting in-depth underwater surveys, and raising awareness of marine conservation issues.
WHAT DOES THE PROJECT DO?The Perhentian Islands are some of the most beautiful tropical islands in the entire world. The islands, surrounded by turquoise blue seas are home to countless species of fish and colourful coral reefs. The shallow water and weak currents create the ideal location for learning to dive and developing your conservation research techniques. The project is based in the local village, and encourages the inclusion of all members of the community to take an active role within conservation efforts. The local boatmen will join you in conducting coral reef surveys, the local shop, restaurant and accommodation owners directly benefit from your financial contribution to the village, and local children will stop you on the street to practise their English!
You will make a valuable contribution towards research concerning the health of the coral reef and its protection. The scientific data you collect will directly contribute towards PhD Thesis study with quantifiable results, and may even be published in international journals. This project is perfect for anyone wishing to undertake a career in marine biology, or just those who love trying new things and helping to make a difference.
WHAT WILL I BE DOING?
1)
Scuba Diving CourseDuring week 1 you will partake in a scuba diving course, this could be PADI Open Water or PADI Advanced Open Water. You will be trained by our two PADI Instructors who are focused on diving skills and students who are environmentally aware. If you don’t want to take a dive course, no problem at all, it just means you can start any week you like.
2)
Marine ResearchYou will be given lectures on the scientific methods used, fish, coral and invertebrate identification and conservation efforts in the islands. You will dive twice a day with many of the dives involving collecting data for a GIS Map Survey of the coral reefs around the islands. The GIS Map will be built up using 30m transects around the island, first one buddy team will record the fish along the transect line and then the next buddy team will collect substrate data. The GIS Map will build up a detailed representation of the coral reefs around the islands and can be used to assess the growth and health of the coral reefs year on year.
3)
Sports ClubsMonday to Friday you will be able to help the volunteer football coach with football classes for the school children in the village. Sports are a great way to engage the children and help break barriers that language can create. By engaging the children, especially the boys, in these activities they will passively improve their English through interaction with non-Malaysian speaking volunteers. This is something that has worked via our environmental school clubs but many of the boys decide not to go, so the football club provides a more suitable activity to engage with them.
4)
Awareness BoothEvery Saturday you will join the community volunteers with the weekly awareness booths, designed to educate the tourists visiting the islands about marine conservation and how they can help protect the islands marine ecosystems.
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Thesis ResearchWe have many research questions that we want answered. We appreciate your time and effort when conducting research hence we offer a lower price for any researcher (Bachelor’s,Master’s or PhD students) who wish to conduct their research with us. Topics include:
- Coral reef GIS mapping
- Nudibranch population surveys
- Impacts of divers & snorkellers on coral reefs
- Biorock Feasibility study – Masters/PhD only
- Feasibility study of using plants to treat the grey water from the village – Masters/PhD only
- Impact of Ecotourism/voluntourism in the islands
If you wish to conduct your research with us and have your own topic please feel free to propose it to us.