Marine Conservation Internship in Sardinia

Program Description

Join the team of MareTerra - Environmental Research and Conservation in Sardinia, a beautiful and uncontaminated places in the Mediterranean Sea. Our headquarters is Alghero and our projects are carried out inside the Marine Protected Area of Capo Caccia and Piana Island and the Regional Natural Park of Porto Conte.
With this long term program, students will be fully involved in all the research activities of MareTerra:
- Population dynamics and conservation of bottlenose dolphin in Northern Sardinia.
- The measure of the effect of man made noise on the behaviour and acoustic of bottlenose dolphins
- The measure of the effect of human activities on the conservation status of P. oceanica and on the effectiveness of management actions carried out in marine protected areas.
- The study of the soundscape ecology of different marine habitats inside and outside Marine Protected Areas.
- Characterisation of the signature whistle repertoire of Mediterranean bottlenose dolphin populations and assessment of factors influencing variability in bottlenose dolphin whistles.
Students will be properly trained by MareTerra researchers, they will take part in the boat trips of the dolphin watching company Progetto Natura (with specific task to fulfil) and they will help managing and analysing data.

Highlights

- The well-done fieldwork and laboratory work will be rewarded as authorship in the scientific publications that will be produced. The Scientific Director reserves the right to evaluate the quality of the work done and the opportunity to add the students/trainees among the authors.
- Increase your knowledge about dolphins, fish and marine / coastal habitats and the effect of human activities on their conservation.
- Acquire experience on field and laboratory activities related to marine ecology and biology, behaviour and bioacoustics of marine mammals.
- Gain the opportunity to enrich your knowledge, skills and enrich your curriculum.

Qualifications

Students needs:
- To communicate fluently in English (English level > B2).
- To be autonomous and flexible.
- To be responsible and willing to work long hours in the field and in the laboratory.
- To have a great desire to learn and a strong spirit of cooperation in a multi-cultural team.
Applicants need to be undergraduates.

Internship Types

What`s Included

Students are personally responsible for finding accommodation and covering their stay expenses. MareTerra provides local contacts to facilitate the search but it is not responsible in any way for the placement of the students.