Forest training

IN001 Jungle Training and Wallacea Forest Ecology (Weeks 1, 3, 5) 

This training course is designed to allow you to acclimatise to the forest environment and give you the field skills to work competently alongside field scientists in the forest. You will be taught practical survival skills, how to live, walk and work safely in the forest including how to establish a field camp and what potentially dangerous organisms to look out for. The course also contains a series of lectures with practicals to train you in the field survey techniques being used for different taxa and identification of the commoner species. You will also learn about the ecology of tropical forests and what is so special about the Wallacea forests. You will be spending 3 nights in forest camps with the remaining time based at Labundo. This pre requisite course is a highlight of the expedition for many volunteers and and where lasting friendships between your co-volunteers, course leaders and local people are built.

IL002 Indonesian Cultural Experience (Weeks 2, 4, 6) 

This course gives a unique insight into rural Indonesian life and the opportunity to experience what it's like to work in a southeast Asian farm, how to fish in a dugout canoe, learn about medicinal plants, how to plant or harvest rice up to your knees in water in a padi field, and how to prepare Indonesian food. Along with these activities there will be lectures covering topics that range from Indonesian language (you should be able to speak some Indonesian by the end of the course), Indonesian history and administrative structure.  

Canopy Access Experience (Weeks 1 - 8 One-day additional course on top of your normal schedule)

Canopy Access Limited, the team that helped David Attenborough ascend into the canopy for BBC's Life of Mammals and Planet Earth, are on site to provide access to the canopy for the science teams two days a week. However, for the rest of their time they are available at Labundo to do a half-day demonstration of safe ascent into the canopy. This half-day course which is open to all volunteers costs £80 (approx $125) and gives students the opportunity to learn how to safely ascend into the canopy. The ascent is done using ascenders (pulley system) with safety ropes and is a unique opportunity to experience wildlife in the canopy. For Research Assistants and Dissertation/Thesis students there is also the opportunity to overnight in a hammock in the canopy so you can see dawn rise over the forest - a truly unforgettable experience. This experience costs £120 which includes the course costs of £80. You do not need to choose the Canopy Access Experience as one of your options - you can do this as an extra experience on site. However, you will need to pre-book either the canopy access or overnight canopy experience courses online www.canopyaccess.co.uk.