Karst 4U: Explore Croatia"s Nature

Project description:
The world is changing rapidly. Prosperity has reached unprecedented levels. But so have our demands on the environment, and so has the gap between rich and poor. Natural resources provide services that sustain our lives and are crucial for economic development and human well-being. Using natural resources sustainably is key to ensuring their availability also for future generations while satisfying the needs of today. We offer environmental volunteer programs with a social commitment, regardless of age, gender, religion, nationality or profession, in control and protection activities of Protected Areas; research and conservation of karst ecosystem's; awareness and environmental education, and the fight against lack of environmental awareness.

Cave park Grabovača is looking for dynamic, creative, forward looking, dedicated and results-oriented volunteers who want to work in nature and in field of nature conservation. This project is extended version of the project Karst4U: Discover Undiscovered, and the main aim is exploration and protection of underground systems, karst surface form's, helping local's and learning about Croatia's nature and history. We believe that by sharing the responsibility of caring for our environment, we are able to conserve and protect it for the benefits of our future generations.
"In the end we will conserve only what we love. We will love only what we understand. We will understand what we are taught."~Baba Dioum
Project activities:
Volunteers will be involved in the following range of activities:
1. Cave monitoring – bats
2. Monitoring the status of underground ecosystems
3. Learning the basic of speleology
4. Inventorying of water sources ans speleological objects
5. Guided Walk - Lead a group for a walk along the forest trails and through touristic cave Samograd
6. Educational Activities - Create awareness and appreciation about the nature, learning about karst, history of Croatia etc.
7. Participation in workshops about karst, water in karst, karst forms, ecological problems in karst etc.
8. Publications - Write, edit and design of Volunteer newsletter and volunteer blog
9. Design and artwork - Provide design services for our promotional and educational materials such as posters, banners, signs and interactive media programmes.
10. Visitor services - Provide information and advice to visitors to the park
11. Photography - Contribution of photographs on the flora and fauna in the park for documentation and publication purposes
12. Cave and karst cleanup
13. Helping local's residents in their daily activities
14. Learning Croatian language
15. Children Programmes – school of foreign language for local kids
Volunteers would have the opportunity to learn and adopt the following skills:
1.Base of theoretical knowledge about the concept, origin and types of karst relief; base of theoretical and practical knowledge for monitoring of bats and speleological objects;
2. Introduction to the basic assumptions of karst protection issues and finding solutions to these problems:
3. To increase environmental and social awareness of participants;
4. Develop communication, organizational and administrative skills;
5. Basic working skills in field research (working on GPS, mapping, navigation in nature,monitoring);
6. Introduction to the work and the notion of of protected areas;
7. Getting acquainted with local tradition and mentality;
8. Learn the basics of the Croatian language;
9. Acquire skills to work in a team;
10. Acquire a sense of independence, self-initiative;
11. Acquire work experience.

We expect to host 5 participants ie. Volunteers.
Volunteers will be staying in a creative environment and will therefore be able to direct their ideas to improve park services for users. Volunteers will be in direct communication with visitors of the Cave park. For each proposed activities volunteers will be divided in groups, according to their skills and interest, and each group will be working one part of the activity.
In order to become a partner in this project you must comply with the following criteria:
 high motivation, inovative
 aged of participant over 18
 team workers, desire to work in the nature and field research
- communication skills, good knowledge of English language
 represent fully registered NGO/Institution which has PIC number and uploaded registration documents to URF portal
 You are legally established in a country belonging to one of the following groups:
- the 27 EU member states

As a part of the project all volunteers will visit (within several one-day excursions) the Cave Samograd, Kuterevo-refuge for bears, Old town Perušić, river Lika (boating), Center for fruit processing - Perušić, Centre for horseback riding.

Near the Cave park are several Nature and National parks (within 50km) - NP „Plitvice lakes“, NP „North Velebit“, Nature park „Velebit“, Memorial centre „Nikola Tesla“, Adventure park „Rizvan city“. Adriatic sea is 1 hour of driving from the Cave park (Zadar, Karlobag, Senj...).

Important:
Work experience is not necessary, everything what you need is a desire to work in protected area and dealing with matters concerning on environmental protection.
Together with your application please send a motivation letter.

Deadline for application the project is 4th of February 2015.

Also, please forward this call to any person, organization or network you deem possibly interested.
If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact me.
We wish you good luck and we look forward to our future parership in this great project!
If you are interested to be part of our project and to stay in Croatia for one month, please contact me: jelena.milkovic@pp-grabovaca.hr
Best regards,
Jelena Milković, Public institution „Cave park Grabovača“