Great Experience & Well-Organized

I was an Eco-Volunteer at IPBio for three weeks. I had just graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Molecular & Cellular Biology and Economics, and hadn’t had much experience conducting ecological field research. My time as an Eco-Volunteer changed this. I learned how to spot and take inventory of birds and mushrooms, wade in a river to catch (and later, release) fish, which we would later identify and photograph, and monitor the health of a pond. Do prepare to get sweaty and get some bug bites, because this is part of the “job” of working in the Atlantic Forest!
The organization of the Volunteer Program is top-notch. Imran, the volunteer coordinator, has done a fantastic job of building this program. He is great with responding to emails and WhatsApp messages in a timely manner. Volunteers go through a first-day orientation, in which we learn more about IPBio, the protocols for each of the tasks, and rules/logistics. Imran meets with the volunteers every morning at 9am to give us updates and answer any questions we may have. Furthermore, the volunteer housing has a large space for cooking and spending time with the other volunteers, and Imran is great about helping us fix any problem in the house.
I recommend two things if you plan on going to IPBio. Firstly, get a plan on your mobile device that allows you to use WhatsApp, Messenger, and make calls without WiFi. Sometimes, the WiFi at the reserve randomly goes out and you may be stuck without WiFi for a day, especially if it’s Saturday or Sunday. Secondly, I highly recommend learning some Portuguese before you arrive. Not only will it make transportation and shopping a little easier, it will also help you get immersed in the local community of Iporanga. If you want to learn about peoples’ lives and points of view, you cannot get by with just English. I also would note that the interaction we have with locals is, unfortunately, limited, since we are on the Reserve most of the time, which is 6 kilometers away from the town. In order to have more interaction with locals, make sure to visit Iporanga and talk with people in the town, whether that be at a bar or restaurant, or somewhere else (like a gym). For me, since I am Catholic, I attended Mass in Iporanga and found it to be a great way to better understand local culture and meet people.