Expand your knowledge and make a difference, be part of the Eco Lodge Salve Floresta team as a volunteer within a Tropical Forest Reserve.
by Laurin Soares & Micayla Dennis
10 min read
Just 3 hours from São Paulo, near the picturesque town of Tapiraí, you will find Eco Lodge Salve Floresta, built in one of the most preserved areas of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil.
Here, while you will be comfortably enjoying a large primary forest, you will also have the unique opportunity to experience nature first-hand, grow and harvest a variety of vegetables from our organic garden and visit unforgettable places. Every effort we make to preserve this forest is made with the aim of benefiting us all. Our main intention is to create habits among ourselves and those around us in conserving what remains of our tropical forest, ensuring the survival of many species of plants and animals that are threatened with extinction.
Help us preserve this natural paradise as we share our knowledge and wisdom with the goal of greater understanding and respect for nature. In our ecological reserve, we grow a variety of native fruits and vegetables. Our small-scale banana plantation provides us with an abundance of bananas, which we feed each morning to the many exotic bird species that share our region with us. Our guavas are sweet in season, as are our orange and cocoa trees. We have recently started growing papaya trees and have planted watermelon seedlings to increase our fruit variety.
Our 100% organic garden has a wide variety of vegetables such as kale, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, beets, lettuce and many others. We also grow some herbs such as rosemary, basil and parsley. We collect all the organic matter from the kitchen and, after it has decomposed, we nourish the soil of our garden with our own organic compost. We believe that plant-based foods are essential for the future of the planet and the evolution of human beings. For this reason, we also focus on offering vegetarian dishes in our restaurant and prioritize preparing food with locally sourced organic products. In addition to getting our hands dirty in the soil, another main focus is on restoration projects to renew parts of the property, as we have been doing for over 25 years, and the constant maintenance that is very important for this region. For the more adventurous, guided hikes, kayaking tours and bird watching are some of the popular activities we offer here at Salve Floresta and, as a volunteer, we invite you to make the most of these options in your free time.
Cultural exchange and learning opportunities
By joining the Salve Floresta family, you will be surrounded by a team of local Brazilians who are welcoming and open to sharing their knowledge, skills and opportunities for growth with you. You can practice your Portuguese, sample many different types of traditional Brazilian dishes, learn about the region and climate in this part of the Atlantic Forest, and expand your knowledge of the bird, plant and animal species of this forest.
In our garden, you’ll experience growing seedlings from seeds, using a combination of soil and compost to plant the seedlings in raised beds, watering, cleaning and caring for the growing plants and eventually harvesting the vegetables. You’ll also learn about the process of composting, natural fertilisers and planting fruit trees. If you’re a keen photographer, there are beautiful landscapes and hundreds of species of exotic birds, a viewing tower above the treetops and plenty of opportunities for close-up and drone photography.
In ecotourism, international volunteers and tourists are an important asset when it comes to connecting locals with their natural environment. Foreigners have the opportunity to experience the rainforest ecosystem up close and at the same time can show local people that it is possible to make a living by protecting and working in the natural environment, rather than destroying it. Guest satisfaction and strengthening the regional economy must go hand in hand with protecting nature and improving the quality of life of the local population. Our goal is a long-term relationship between a small village in Brazil and a successful project to protect the Atlantic Forest.
Accommodation
We offer different types of rooms, all equipped with cotton sheets and towels, a luggage rack and a large space to hang your clothes. Large communal bathrooms and toilets are in the hallway and outside a terrace with table, chairs and hammock is also available. We have a washing machine available for you to do your laundry and we offer delicious breakfast, lunch and dinner, included in the volunteering. Our banana grove and the fruits from the garden are at the disposal of the volunteers.
Help needed
Our ideal is to find motivated and hard-working people, interested in ecology, with a focus on understanding nature and its processes in a non-aggressive way. If you share the same philosophy or are working in this area, it would be a great advantage for us, however, it is not a requirement, as we invite you to learn more with us.
Gardening: Our main goal is to continue and maintain our permaculture garden, allowing you to get your hands dirty and learn everything there is to know about sustainable organic gardening. We need your help to plant different edible, native and exotic species of vegetables, herbs and fruits, while caring for the seedlings we grow and maintaining the plants that are already producing fruits and vegetables.
Eco Lodge: Taking care of guests in the office and reception, guiding them on our bush walks, translating for our international guests, helping with general maintenance of the lodge, and helping anyone who needs assistance, whether it’s in the lab during a learning experience, helping our staff, or being an extra hand in the kitchen. All of this is volunteer work.
Marketing: We are currently looking for text, concept and online marketing support, open to people who speak German, Portuguese or English. Developers are also needed! For this we require you to have good skills in WordPress back and frontend systems, PHP and CSS in general.
Photographers and filmmakers are also welcome as we can always use a little help to capture the essence of our beautiful place.
Construction Work: Volunteers with carpentry or construction experience are always welcome.
Important Notes: To participate in our volunteer program, we require a minimum stay of three months and a minimum age of 25, to ensure that the experience runs smoothly on both sides and that expectations are mutually met. It is important to us that everyone’s time at Eco Lodge Salve Floresta represents a fair exchange between our staff and volunteers. We currently accept two volunteers at a time, but this may change in the future.
The Future
After an experience at Eco Lodge Salve Floresta, our hope is that volunteers will become more aware of the need to preserve nature, and that they will be motivated to adopt new behaviors in their cities, always trying to adapt their daily consumption behavior and increasingly value the environment. It is more important now than ever to stay connected with nature and live a sustainable, healthy and fulfilling life.
Being at peace with nature allows us to reduce stress and anxiety and improve our happiness and physical health. It is of great importance to find a new balance in everyday life in which we are used to spending most of our time indoors, and the time we set aside to spend in green spaces, breathing fresh air.