Read more: 鈥�Graduate Special 2013鈥�
WHAT do you get when you mix non-stop torrential rain with the soil of the Amazon rainforest? 鈥淟ots of mud,鈥� says Stefan Harrison, resident naturalist at the in Peru鈥檚 .
But boy is it worth it. Part of Stefan鈥檚 role is to monitor the behaviour of the macaws and parrots that visit a local clay lick to stock up on salt. He also observes the breeding patterns of giant otters and caimans in a nearby river. 鈥淚t is magical watching giant otters fishing metres away from you,鈥� he says.
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His route here was slightly circuitous. Stefan started out on a palaeontology degree, but soon realised it wasn鈥檛 for him. 鈥淎fter a month of 6-hour-long practicals drawing rocks it was clear to me that palaeontology contained too much geology for my liking,鈥� he says. 鈥淭he people who tended to study geology seemed to share the personality of their subject material.鈥�
So Stefan switched to biology. A three-week field trip to Spain led to a fortuitous meeting with Sandy Knapp, who specialises in deadly nightshade plants at London鈥檚 . 鈥淗er enthusiasm was infectious, and I was lucky enough to conduct my final year thesis with her at the museum,鈥� he says.
Stefan then traded lab work for the Kalahari desert in Namibia. 鈥淎s part of a research project for the in Berlin, my job was to identify the species of desert beetles,鈥� he says. 鈥淐amping for two months with oryx, zebra, giraffe and a whole plethora of other fantastic creatures outside (and sometimes inside) my tent was an extraordinary experience.鈥�
He found his current position through , a website that compiles volunteer placements in Central and South America. Now he is on hand to help visiting researchers with their Amazonian projects. Most recently, Stefan has been helping a team collect plant roots to study the carbon cycle.
Stefan is also working on his own project: investigating the diversity of beetles, his favourite creatures, in an unspoilt corner of the Amazon. He sends specimens back to the Natural History Museum. 鈥淚 hope that, in a very small way, this will add cause for preserving this area,鈥� he says.
The best part of the job, Stefan says, is living in the Amazon rainforest. 鈥淭he worst bit is the incessant mould that grows on everything.鈥� If you think you can handle the mould, Stefan recommends taking the time to find a programme that lets you contribute to scientific research without costing you the earth. 鈥淎 lot of volunteering programmes charge exorbitant fees, and it鈥檚 not always obvious what the end results will be,鈥� he says. 鈥淵ou don鈥檛 have to fork out bucks in order to make a difference.鈥�