Individuals or teams wanting to visit the Nguna Pele Marine Protected Area as volunteers or for research purposes are welcome. At the present time research conducted by the MPA is limited to basic, sustainable practices such as Reef Check. We also welcome support from volunteers in the area of awarenesses and education on Nguna and Pele.
We encourage individuals and groups to conduct creative research that may benefit our MPA, but currently do not have the capacity to conduct advanced research. As such, research logistics, funding, and staff must be handled by the interested party. Nguna-Pele staff and volunteers may be available to help at times to assist with outside research. Home stays with village families can be arranged for researchers (~1500 vt per day/person to cover meals and accommodation). Anyone wanting to conduct research within the Nguna-Pele MPA must first seek approval through our managment committee. Please email us for more details. In additiion to Nguna-Pele management committee approval, any potenial researcher must also obtain a research permit from the Vanuatu Environmental Unit, PMB 9063, Port Vila, Vanuatu, Ph: (678) 25302, Fax: (678) 23565, environ@vanautu.com.vu
Here's a list of some volunteers that are serving and have served the Nguna-Pele Marine Protected Area.
Seth Dallmann is a current Peace Corps Volunteer working on Pele Island until June 2009. He works as a biological and organizational advisor to the MPA as well as an advisor for the newly-formed North Efate Youth Sports Program.
Dominique Lenox is a current Peace Corps Volunteer working on Nguna Island until June 2009. In addition to working as a biological and organizational advisor, Dominique works with a three-village terrestrial conservation project on Nguna and works as an advisor for the Vanuatu Disaster Management Program.
Robert Fergusen and Glenis Padilla are two former Peace Corps Volunteers that served the Nguna-Pele MPA from November 2006-October 2007. They both came to the MPA after spending two years on Malekula Island working in the area of marine conservation and environmental education.
Chris "Masewia" Bartlett remains active with the MPA as our Advising Marine Biologist. A former U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer who spent four years between 2002 and 2007 living on Nguna & Pele islands , he is currently a PhD candidate at James Cook University in Townsville, Australia. His research compares the relative benefits of traditional management regimes and marine protected areas for the conservation of marine systems in Vanuatu and his service was instrumental in establishing the MPA.
Jessica Nilsson of Sweden is completing her BSc in Marine Biology at James Cook University . Her life ambition is to work with marine mammals, and she is considering a PhD doing dolphin research in Africa . In the meantime, Jessica volunteered with the MPA as a research assistant for a large-scale ecological assessment of area reefs. From December 2006 to February 2007, she spent over 40 hours underwater SCUBA diving to estimate substrate cover inside and outside our community marine reserves. Jessica learned the local language at record speed, was 'adopted' into a local family, and made lasting lifetime friendships with community members.
Sara "Leisale" Gigliotti came to the MPA to serve as an advisor on organizational development. Originally a U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer, she stayed on after her service ended. She helped form the MPA Management Committee and advised the committee in the staff hiring process. Her business and public relations experience helped her to train MPA staff in accounting, management principles and computer use. Sara also visited many of the villages in the MPA to present workshops on household budgeting, bookkeeping and project management from September 2005 to November 2006. She remains in close contact with MPA staff regarding grant management and funding opportunities...and also helps us keep this website somewhat updated!
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 Sara & Neil share a shell of kava at a workshop closing ceremony |
Pippa "Tusi" of Adelaide, Australia, spent two months at the MPA in mid-2005. An incredible artist, Pippa mapped the village of Taloa and created the MPA's first resource map and village schematic diagram.
American Alexei "Puma" Kudla also visited the MPA for a month in 2005 and began working with Taloa shell collector Toufau Amos to photograph and catalog her immense sea shell collection. Although he's since returned to the U.S., he is writing a book about Vanuatu sea shells, showcasing Toufau's treasures, that the MPA hopes to eventually publish.
Contact us at marineprotectedarea@hotmail.com to arrange your own volunteer project. You may also help our conservation efforts with financial or in-kind contributions.
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