Volunteering in Mexico’s Riviera Maya

Head south from Tulum, Mexico until the paved road becomes dirt and you’ll have arrived at Sian Ka’an Biosphere Reserve. A rare oasis in the Mexican Riviera’s crunch of large resorts, this reserve protects remote beaches, lagoons, coral reefs, mangroves, and more. Few of the millions of people that visit the Yucatan each year leave a positive footprint but volunteer tourism company Global Vision International (GVI) is one who puts it travelers to work on a dizzying array of programs.

Sian Ka'an Biosphere Reserve

I recently met up with GVI’s Country Director Lluvia Soto to visit their Pez Maya (translates to “Mayan Fish”) research station, run in partnership with Amigos de Sian Ka’an (a Mexican non-profit), to learn more about their work in the area. Along the slow drive navigating the unpaved road’s giant potholes, Lluvia introduced me to the various options open to people who want to give back to this special area.

My main interest was their new sea turtle conservation project. Green turtles and loggerheads nest on one stretch of beach in Sian Ka’an but local organizations haven’t had the manpower to work at this beach until now. GVI recently launched a new partnership with Flora, Fauna y Cultura de Mexico (a local NGO that is also a partner of SEEtheWILD) to have people patrol this beach for the first time. From May to October each year, volunteers will walk the 3 mile stretch, working with researchers to collect data on the turtles and make sure their nests are high enough up on the beach to avoid the high tide. Learn more about this volunteer program here.

While poaching doesn’t appear to be a problem on this remote beach, plastic waste is. Despite being miles from any town, the beaches in Sian Ka’an are routinely covered by trash floating up from around the world. At their nearby basecamp, volunteers do their best to stem this pollution with weekly beach clean-ups, collecting as much as a ton of waste in a day. They have also set up a recycling project at Punta Allen, a community located inside the reserve.

In addition to sea turtles and collecting plastic waste, GVI runs a wide variety of programs benefitting local residents and natural areas. Their coral reef research project has resulted in some of the best data of any stretch of beach along the entire Mesoamerican Barrier Reef. Volunteers who commit to a 6 month stay can get their dive PADI divemaster certification while exploring the beautiful coastal waters.

Their social programs include volunteering at a children’s center, assisting local veterinarians, and more. GVI’s support for local communities goes beyond volunteers; their Charitable Trust provides scholarships for students to go to school or get trained in various fields. Lluvia embodies this program, as she started out as a scholarship recipient and is now a community leader, helping GVI extend its reach across the Yucatan Peninsula to benefit both local communities and wildlife.