Are you interested in volunteering in one of the most beautiful parts of the world?
From conservation work on the Great Barrier Reef to wildlife rehabilitation, there are many ways in which you can get involved and contribute to meaningful causes whilst creating an impact…
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Eye on the Reef
Help to protect the reef whilst cruising the Whitsundays.
One of the easiest ways to help manage the reef and is to join the Citizen Science movement and volunteer your time whilst out at work chartering in the Whitsundays, or on days off exploring the area.
Download the free Eye on the Reef app. This app allows you to record your sightings whilst on the Whitsunday waters.
The Eye on the Reef monitoring and assessment program enables anyone who visits the Great Barrier Reef to contribute to its long-term protection by collecting valuable information about reef health, marine animals and incidents that is used to understand the bigger picture and inform how the reef is managed.
The Great Barrier Reef Marine Park Authority have also provided a list of Responsible Reef Practices tips that you can view here.
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Eco Barge Clean Seas
Eco Barge Clean Seas Inc. is a not-for-profit environmental organization, established in Airlie Beach to engage the community to protect the marine life and aquatic environment of the Whitsunday region by removing marine and land-based litter to reduce its impacts, recycling and transforming ocean plastics to reduce landfill and providing care for sick and injured marine turtles.
Eco Barge have regular volunteer opportunities that include collecting marine debris out on the Whitsunday Islands (via their barge), counting and sorting through the litter at their mainland base, whilst also needing ongoing voluntary care for their turtle rescue centre.
Volunteer with Eco Barge and check their upcoming volunteer activities HERE.
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Tangaroa Blue
Tangaroa Blue is a not-for-profit dedicated to the removal and prevention of marine debris, one of the largest environmental issues worldwide. They have successfully created the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI) a citizen science network that work on solutions to stop of the flow of litter at the source.
There are multiple ways in which you can join with Tangaroa Blue to help contribute towards the Australian Marine Debris Initiative. There are coordinated events in partnership with the Coral Sea Academy, such as Clean Up Australia Day and the Great Barrier Reef Clean Up, or alternatively you can reach out to see what volunteer options are available during your visit HERE.
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Fauna Rescue Whitsundays
Fauna Rescue Whitsundays are a not-for-profit, voluntary group who care for and rehabilitate sick, injured and orphaned native wildlife. They provide a 24 hour wildlife hotline service, give informative talks to schools and other interested community organisations and encourage the valuable participation of community members in all our activities.
Fauna Rescue Whitsundays are looking for volunteers to rescue or transport animals, answer the hotline, care, construct caring facilities, do presentations, sew pouches, help with marketing, grant writing and run workshops.
Contact Fauna Rescue to see how you can help HERE.
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Whitsunday Seagrass Volunteers
Coral Sea Marina Resort is supporting local seagrass restoration, working with the Coastal Marine Ecosystems Research Centre at CQUniversity, Reef Catchments and the Great Barrier Reef Foundation, and host a test site for a dedicated Seagrass Nursery within the marina.
Seagrasses are the only truly marine flowering plant, they have roots, flowers and produce seeds. A healthy marine environment relies on seagrass. Seagrass protect shorelines from coastal erosion, support fish and shellfish populations, filter out fine sediments and nutrients which protect the reef, and offset our carbon footprint by catching and storing organic matter. And of course, the local meadows are important feeding grounds for dugong and green turtles.
Storms and poor water quality can degrade seagrass meadows faster than they can recover so they need a helping hand. The project will establish a seagrass restoration site using seagrass seeds. For this, we will need volunteers to help collect from healthy parts of an intertidal seagrass meadow in Pioneer Bay, and later disperse them where needed. It also requires a seagrass nursery where seagrass plants can be grown for seed production, and seagrass flowers collected from the wild can be held in filtered seawater until they drop seeds for collection and storage in specific conditions.
There are regular opportunities to:
- Attend information sessions about the value of seagrass and how we can help them stay healthy;
- Take part in seagrass flower collecting events to help collect seeds for restoration, but also see some of the amazing creatures that call seagrass home;
- Visit the seagrass nursery aquaria;
- Help with seed harvesting; and/or
- Gain training on seagrass identification and flower collection.
For more information on the Seagrass Restoration Project, please click HERE.
For Volunteer dates, check the Coral Sea Academy website HERE.
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Whitsunday Catchment Landcare
Whitsunday Catchment Landcare is a community organisation comprised of various stakeholders including agriculture, community and business as well as individual community members. They plan towards environmental, economic and social sustainability within the Whitsunday catchment.
Whitsunday Catchment Landcare welcomes volunteers!
They run volunteer mornings at the Community Nursery (33 Kelsey Creek Road, Proserpine) every Tuesday and Thursday morning, from 9am - 12pm. Activities include native plant seed processing, storing, propagation, tubing-up and nursery maintenance tasks. They also endeavour to provide an alternative volunteering activity to the nursery work on the 3rd Thursday of each month. These activities may involve visits to various local revegation sites for maintenance or seed collecting, or just visiting sites of regional botanical significance and interest. These alternate activities are advertised in their monthly newsletter (sign up HERE), and on their facebook page HERE.
