Marine Conservation
Island Reef Research and Conservation
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Real citizen science on the Great Barrier Reef, no experience needed. Two islands, 45 minutes from Cairns.
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Programs · Research
Conservation research volunteer programs
Field research support: transects, tagging under permit, camera traps, water quality sampling and data entry for ongoing studies.
Conservation focus
7 programs
Marine Conservation
Great Barrier Reef Marine Conservation
Cairns, Queensland, Australia
Reef-based citizen science and marine conservation on the Great Barrier Reef, with dive training or a liveaboard reef experience.
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Marine Conservation
Reef & Rainforest Adventure
Far North Queensland (Cairns · Great Barrier Reef · Daintree · Cape Tribulation · Kuranda)
Three weeks combining reef research, marine conservation and rainforest exploration in tropical Far North Queensland.
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Marine Conservation
Eco-Expedition for Families & Groups
Far North Queensland, Australia
A 5-day expedition for families and small groups: reef, rainforest and wildlife, with real marine conservation alongside the O2E team.
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Marine Conservation
Marine Conservationist for a Day
Fitzroy Island or Green Island, near Cairns, Australia
Spend a day on a Great Barrier Reef island learning reef science and contributing to real citizen-science surveys.
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Marine Conservation
Diploma of Marine Conservation Volunteering
Cairns, Queensland (fieldwork) + online study
A study-and-fieldwork pathway combining an online diploma with hands-on reef fieldwork on the Great Barrier Reef.
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Marine Conservation
Family Education Day
Fitzroy Island or Green Island, near Cairns, Australia
A family day on the Great Barrier Reef: reef learning and hands-on citizen science in a beautiful island setting.
Explore Family Education Day →Research placements ask for accuracy and patience rather than experience. Method is taught on site and data is checked before it enters the project record.
Some streams carry prerequisites, such as a dive certification or a minimum stay, which are listed on each program page.
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Get the 5-day ethical volunteering course
One short email a day. How to spot a genuine project, what fees really pay for, and how to prepare.