Considering that VCPs rely primarily on foreign participants to fund their operations, the primary challenges were related to the participants’ youth, cultural differences, and need to create a positive tourist/participant experience. The most often mentioned challenge was that participant wants and needs must be considered and managed by project leaders. Addressing these challenges consumes energy, time, and financial resources from each VCP and, in some cases, they may affect the type of work that a VCP is able to accomplish. Participants usually choose to work with VCPs “because they want to directly contribute to conservation work and research, so in that sense they’re usually pretty keen to participate in all of that work that [the
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VCPs] do. But for sure [the VCPs] spend part of [their] time managing other sort of more touristic activities and other education activities for them as part of their program.”
One interviewee explained that the VCP leaders “can’t be with the volunteers 24/7, but sometimes that’s what the volunteer expects or wants”. Another said that “they always need to be coordinated [because] you want to have everybody be happy and do something that makes sense”. And, in some cases, there are “volunteers that are like… needy in a way. I don’t know how to say it in a nicer way, but they like need a lot of attention, and that’s sometimes hard because we have a lot of other stuff on our minds as well, not just the volunteers”. These needs can range in type and complexity but can include, for example – proper pre-trip preparation, supervision, education/guidance, quality food service, provision of experiential/enjoyable activities, transportation to/from the site, assistance with personal matters, health care, and maintenance of the site and facilities.
Another tourist characteristic of participants that causes challenges for VCPs is the length of stay of each participant. Short lengths of stay (less than one or two weeks) can be resource intensive with little productive benefit, since so much time and energy must be invested in training and orienting the participant before they can feel comfortable or are prepared to contribute well to project efforts. One interviewee explained that,
There is one thing that unbalances us, which is the volunteers of two, three days, because in two three days you can’t even realize very well where you are; you can’t manage to arrive if you are already thinking that you have to go… [these] volunteers are a lot of energy for us, you have to take care of them… take care that they walk around, that they get to know the place, and you have to listen to them because they come with a personal story and everything. These people are a challenge, beautiful to know them, but they take time…
of course, volunteers are demanding, [so] the ideal is minimum one week here.
And another simply states, “I don’t think we should have a two-week [volunteership] at all. If they only have two weeks they should go to a different project. There [are] great projects out there, but don’t come here. Because it doesn’t make any sense.” Even though several
interviewees discussed the challenges of short-term volunteers, these types of
visitors/participants are still typically always welcome at VCPs “because its cost benefit - they
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will still make money having those people come.”
In addition to managing for participant wants and expectations, VCPs in Madre de Dios are faced with challenges caused by the environment in which they are located. In short, there can be “problems with volunteers that don’t understand what it means to come to the jungle”
because “obviously things happen in the jungle… it is not easy living in the jungle.” In most cases, VCP participants are living in and using rudimentary facilities and they have ongoing interactions with the various facets and struggles of the environment – heat and humidity, insects and other wildlife, rough terrains, etc. While many participants come to enjoy these aspects, it can be unpleasant for others or, at least, at times. And,
Another challenge [is] being so far away from home for a lot of our volunteers... our program is… really open to anyone so you could have never gone out of your state before and come here and I wouldn’t necessarily say that you’d be having the time of your life cause it can be a difficult place…just being anywhere new can be really difficult for people. Especially a place like off the grid, remote jungle living.
VCP managers must consider the challenges faced by their clients (participants) and take measures to prepare their participants and address their concerns or issues as they arise. These acts, too, require a notable portion of VCP managers’ time and energy resources. And, of course, there are participants that have expectations of their VCP experience that do not align well with the expectations of some of the VCP managers. For example, “Some will come, and sit there with their book and start to read… and I say, “hey, how have you come to volunteer in the rainforest just to read a book? You can read it in your house, you’ll be more comfortable, you’ll have a couch, I’m sure you could even watch TV.”
Cumulatively, these challenges will likely affect the type of work that VCPs are able to incorporate into their projects. Project leaders must strike a balance between managing the wants, expectations, and needs of the volunteers with the goals and capacities of the project, its staff, and resources. One interviewee explains that,
I don’t like to just have volunteers do stuff just to keep them busy. We want them to do something that makes sense for us, that makes sense for them, because they learn
something. We want them to have a variety of things to do. Not like a whole week of just
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like weeding… so… sometimes it’s a bit challenging, because things come and go and what is necessary to be done or what kind of resources we have to do some things… just to find a good combination of what can they do that is useful and that’s fun for them to learn and… to coordinate these things.
When creating their goals and specific projects, VCP leaders consider not only the necessary components or actions, but also the capabilities and preferences of their participants, since participants are seeking (and paying for) and enjoyable experience. However, with these
challenges acknowledged, another sentiment of several interviewees is captured in the comment of one – “but I believe that the efforts are worthwhile”.