We offer throughout the year Missions d'Ecovolontariat to help us protect the Makay massif.

If you share our values and feel concerned about the causes we fight for, come and join us in the field ! Not only will you help protect biodiversity and provide better living conditions to remote communities, or live a moment out of time, make unforgettable encounters, observe wonderful animals and exercise yourself by exploring one of the most beautiful places on the planet, our ecovolunteer missions are made for you!

Why come with us ?

• Our missions allow you to discover Makay, one of the most beautiful places on the planet, accompanied by its finest connoisseurs.
• They ensure you will be able to watch several species of lemurs.
• They allow you to live a rare and beneficial disconnection and rejuvenation to the rhythm of nature and the songs of forest birds, an experience of intense and unforgettable life.
• They teach you a lot about nature, about Malagasy culture, but also about the environmental and societal challenges of developing countries, as well as about the daily life of a conservation association.
• They allow rich encounters and open the door to very strong friendships.
• They can be part of a stage if you are a student (see more details in the FAQ).

Or because you’re fed up with living outside the law ;-) Indeed, the charter of the environment in the French Constitution declares that the environment is the common heritage of humankind and that "everyone has a duty to take part in preserving and improving [it]".

Nos missions permettent de faire un « voyage utile » : depuis 2012, les missions écovolontaires que mène Naturevolution ont permis le financement d’une part importante de nos activités de conservation et d’aide aux communautés du Makay.

Where do we work ?

Since 2010, Naturevolution works in the Makay massif, situé au Sud-Ouest de Madagascar.

How we work

Our projects in the Makay aim at protecting on the long term the natural environment of the Makay and developing ways for local people live better and in harmony with their environment. Some projects are carried out in the heart of the massif while others take place in the surrounding villages, a few hours' walk from the Makay canyons.

We offer 3 types of ecovolunteers missions, different times of the year :

• Solidarity and support to local development
  These missions focus on environmental awareness, education, income-generating activities such as beekeeping (hive construction) and ecotourism, the creation of vegetable gardens and nurseries, waste cleaning, etc. These missions take place in or near villages. Learn more about our solidarity missions with local development.
• citizen science
  These missions aim to carry out, supervised by researchers, operations to monitor or inventory the biodiversity of Makay, to assist scientists in their work, even to carry out archaeological surveys or to improve the mapping of Makay. These missions take place from a fixed base camp established in the massif. Learn more about our citizen science missions.
• scientific exploration
  These missions are designed to search for missing cash or rarely observed, as well as an inventory of archaeological sites in the Makay. They take place when roaming in the mountains and we also improve our knowledge of the massive remote places and to keep a watch. Learn more about our scientific exploration missions.

On all our missions, at least two thirds of your time in the field will be devoted to projects. The rest will be dedicated to discovering the still largely unexplored paradise of Makay during trekking accompanied by our specialists.

To note :

• La définition des actions menées lors de ces missions n’est précisée que deux mois avant chaque mission : d’une part parce que nous nous adaptons aux besoins les plus urgents et aux priorités du moment, et d’autre part parce que cela dépend du nombre d’écovolontaires inscrits.
• Naturevolution reserves the right to modify the order and list of actions to be taken during missions, until the day of departure, in order to adapt to needs and unforeseen events.

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How do we live on the ground?

• We camp under individual tents
• Volunteer work is done usually outdoor (or, in case of rain, which is extremely rare at this season, under large expedition tents brought by Naturevolution)
• Nous mangeons des produits achetés à la capitale, agrémentés des produits locaux proposés par les villageois (selon la saison : mangues, bananes, tomates, brèdes, moutons, dindes, poulets, etc.). Chacun peut participer à l’élaboration des repas et à la vaisselle,
• We drink water from the rivers : the water comes straight out of the rocks, and we either filter it or boil it,
• A few beers and soft drinks can be found in the villages,
• Dry toilets and showers are set up in the forest.

Cette vie dans la nature s’avère relativement confortable et surtout source d’amitiés et de bonnes tranches de rigolade.

Who are the ecovolunteers?

All applicants, of any age (from 18 years old, or younger with parent/guardian consent), with any skill-set and nationality are welcome, without discrimination.

"Enthusiasm and motivation are all that matter."

No scientific background nor any diploma is required.

Si vous êtes étudiant·e, vous pouvez faire valoir votre participation à nos missions comme stage d’étude.

Some activities require a good physical condition, others call for being creative, and some ask for educational skills. Let us know your skills and your wishes and we'll do our best to offer activities that match.

The only requirements are that you are:

• contrôlé·e par un médecin avant le départ afin d’assurer une bonne forme physique
• able to speak French or English
• souriant·e et agréable à vivre

How long are the missions?

Nous privilégions des missions de 3 semaines

but also offer some rare shorter missions (2 weeks). And for more fun, meetings and adventure, it is possible to stay for up to 6 weeks!

This time is considered from Paris to Paris. Your presence on Malagasy soil will be respectively 13 days to travel 2 weeks, 20 days for travel 3 weeks or even 41 days for travel 6 weeks.

Be aware also that the lavish travel between the capital Antananarivo and the steep Makay can take only four days return when we go in northern Makay seasonally dry but can last much longer because of the runway conditions and the distance of the proposed work site. We prefer of course the shortest paths for the 2-week missions.

“Almost everything was new to me. Too many positive aspects to list them all, but among others the exceptional and preserved environment of human pollution, and the learning of resourcefulness. "

– Ecovolunteer testimony, avril 2019 (mission explo)

Mission dates

Find a description of the different types of mission in the paragraph How we work and a detailed description of the tasks on the corresponding pages: Support to local development ; Participatory science ; scientific exploration.

Our missions are suspended for the moment due to measures related to the Covid19 epidemic. We will keep you informed of the situation on a regular basis. However, you will find all the dates for the year 2021 below. You can use the filters available to refine your search (for example, look for "August").

A noter:

• The departures of our missions are guaranteed from 4 participants.
• It is possible to participate in a combination of different missions and thus discover different aspects of our activities. For more information, please contact us via the form below.

Are you up for it? So Get in touch! !

Mission prices

A noter:

• If you sign up for 2, rates are reduced by 8%, and 12% from 3 persons (except for already reduced prices).

Distribution of the trip cost

Tax exemption

The full cost of your mission, including airfare, is défiscalisable up to 66% for an individual of 75% if you are subject to the IFI and 60% for companies.
All tax exemption information can be found in the ‘other questions’ section below.

Crowdfunding

Dreaming about it but broke? Think about crowdfunding!
We can assist you in your efforts to help you raise the necessary funds from those around you, your networks or organize fundraising events (craft sales, screenings, etc.).

To find out more, visit: Crowdfunding

Other questions

Are you interested in going on an ecovolunteer mission with us?

If you wish to participate in one of our ecovolunteer missions, or if you have any questions before deciding, please complete the pre-registration form below. We will then get back to you as soon as possible to explain the usual progress of our missions, give you the procedure to follow before leaving, present you the details concerning the actions we are carrying out in the field, and answer your questions.