Volunteer

The Australian Orangutan Project relies on volunteers in every State to promote the organization and raise funds to go directly toward saving the endangered orangutan and its habitat. The involvement of our wonderful volunteers enables AOP to raise critically needed funds for projects on the ground in Borneo and Sumatra. Every dollar raised for AOP goes directly toward saving the orangutans.

Each state is led by a State Representative who organizes functions and projects with a team of volunteers, usually on a monthly basis. Events often include:

• Shopping Centre Stalls
• Quiz Nights
• Walkathons
• Tin Shakes
• Market stalls
• Raffles
• Art shows

The type of projects and activities operating in each state rely on the State Representative and the number of active volunteers they have, in most states each volunteer is also encouraged to organize one personal project each year.

Whilst the amount of time the volunteers spend with the AOP varies from state to state, four to five hours a month is an average commitment. As a volunteer you will also be encouraged to promote membership and adoptions and become a part of the AOP family.

Where a prospective volunteer lives outside of an area where our main state bodies currently operate, we encourage volunteers to set up a committee in their home town and have three or four functions a year with the support of the State Representatives team.

We now have 10 country teams throughout Australia!

Being an AOP volunteer means you can make a difference in protecting the Orangutans and speaking for them. For further information contact AOP get in touch with your local State Representative.  

How can I help to volunteer with orangutans in Borneo?

The Orangutan Foundation's Volunteer Programme was established in 2000 in Tanjung Puting National Park, Kalimantan (Indonesian Borneo). Our programme is like no other and promises some exciting opportunities for adventurous individuals; not only do volunteers participate in conservation fieldwork that really makes a difference, they also get a chance to see ex-captive (and maybe wild) orangutans in their natural habitat.

For more information visit the Orangutan Foundation Volunteer Programme.


The Orangutan Peatland Project
A limited number of volunteer places are available each year to participate in the research programmes of the Forest Dynamics and Ecological Monitoring Teams. This would particularly suit recent graduates or undergraduates wishing to gain fieldwork experience in a tropical forest environment. A willingness to work long hours in the field, a good level of fitness, and basic biological/ecological knowledge is advantageous. There are also several opportunities for students to undertake research for part of their undergraduate honours project or post graduate masters thesis.