Dzukija National park is a budgetary non governmental organization with 37 members of staff including 29 specialists. Average personnel age 42 years.

Principal aims of Dzukija National park:

• Protect natural and cultural heritage values
• Organize applied science research, bio-diversity and heritage preservation related monitoring, recreational and other activities
• Provide conditions for developing recreational activities, notably cognitive, ecological tourism
• Implement environmental education
• Collect information on natural and cultural heritage values, natural resources and other spheres.
• Promote values of the national park and protected areas’ development.

Dzukija National park was established in 1991/04/23 with the aim to protect and manage the most valuable natural and cultural territories of the Dainava region. It is the biggest protected area in Lithuania with the area of 55900 ha. The park stretches across the territories of 4 municipalities. Forests occupy 47283 ha of the park with prevailing pinewoods (90,7 %). The park has 3 reservation areas divided into 28 strictly protected sections (8 landscape-based, 16 natural and 4 cultural). 30 bigger and smaller rivers are found here too. And the area of 48 lakes is 232 ha. 18 natural monuments and 5 landscape sites are protected (hallow pines – relics of ancient bee-keeping), scarps of rivers Ula, Merkys, Nemunas, springs and exposures. Dzukija National park is one of the few territories of Europe that still has a vivid traditional cultural landscape. The mosaic of smaller fields, harvested lawns, pasture grounds of various humidity, scattered amid forests is a home for many plant and animal species. 25 of these areas are under EU protection, 14 of them are part of NATURA‘ 2000 programme. There are 79 villages and the town of Merkine in the park’s territory with a total of 4300 residents. Ethno cultural heritage, traditional crafts (weaving, hollow-tree bee-keeping) are especially valued among the local people. The park is frequently visited by tourists. Water tourism is highly developed; two tourist centers are established in towns of Merkinė and Marcinkonys.

Specialists of nature management, natural heritage, cultural heritage sections as well as staff from both the visitors’ centers, manager of ethnographical museum and fore craftsman will work with volunteers. Most of these specialists speak English, Russian and Polish. Volunteers will also have possibilities to meet the families of the park’s staff, local community and actively participate in local life.

Marcinkonys is a village in Varena village situated on the river Gruda. The village has 800 residents, most of them are elderly people. Numbers of youth and young families are small, but hey are all very actively involved in the life of local community, cherish ancient crafts, teach others and engage in eco tourism. Marcinkonys 100 km from Vilnius, and has bus and train connections to the capital. It is 135 km from Kaunas, but the connection with this city is problematic. The nearest town of Varena and Druskininkai are 20 and 30 km away respectively.

Marcinkonys is the centre of the elderate, it has a train station, wooden church of St.Apostles Simon and Tadas (built in 1880), elementary school, clinic, three shops, a post office, reacreation and entertainment centre. The village has an ethnographic ensemble which is active more than 30 years already.

Directorate of Dzukija National park, the visitors’ centre, ethnographical museum, directorate of Cepkeliai state reservation are based in Marcinkonys too. During the summer season Marcinkonys is visited my many tourists from Lithuania and abroad. There are many palces of interest in the vicinity, many cultural events take place.

Volunteers will live in the park’s guest house with all the necessary amenities and the kitchen. The accommodation is in the building of the directorate in Marcinkonys. Volunteers will work as part of the professional team of the park and they will have all the opportunities for formal and non-formal learning, will feel the importance of team work. Most of the staff speaks English. All the working equipment will be provided (computers, binoculars etc.). Bicycles will be available too. Volunteer will be able to actively participate in the life of the local community, learn traditions of the region, crafts and lifestyles, participate in the activates of the ethnographical ensemble.

They will be able to understand the importance of environmental protection not only in Lithuania but in the entire world. After having explored the park’s tourism resources, volunteers will the able to guide foreign tourist excursions.

Dzukija National park is a very special protected area of the country due to it's peculiar natural conditions and well preserved ethno cultural heritage. People used to farm here just for personal needs and lived mostly from natural forest resources. Such living conditions created the unity between man and nature. Volunteers will have a perfect opportunity to feel the uniqueness of this region, to see the wooden architecture of villages, learn traditional crafts, traditional lifestyles of Dzukija region, taste the learn how to prepare local traditional meals.

With the help of Park’s specialists volunteers will be able to learn to work in many different fields. Together with cultural heritage specialists volunteers will conducts the registration of objects of cultural heritage, help with the early documentation of wooden architecture in photos. Together with nature specialists volunteers will implement the cartography of protected species, monitoring of landscape, camping grounds, database maintenance. They will also help prepare expositions for the ethnographical museum and visitors’ centres, special event, festivals. Volunteers will help keep the tourist paths and infrastructure in order, conduct tourist flow monitoring; participate in nature management actions in Natura 2000 teritories, collect garbage in the most visited areas of the park. Schools of environmental education, camps, hikes, various actions are organized in the park, so volunteers will be able to share experience or gain more while actively participating and working together with the parks’ staff and event participants. The park is also visited by many specialized tourist groups (ornithology, botany, ethno culture, history). They are guided by specialized guides. Participating in such excursions will give volunteers a lot of new scientific information, they will be able to meet scientists, students and nature enthusiasts. During the summer season many events are organized together with the local community, so volunteers will have perfect opportunities express and realize their initiatives, ideas, communicate to the local people, learn language, songs, dances, and local traditions.

The parks is publishing its own newspaper. Volunteers will be given the opportunity to publish their experience and feeling living and work in the region. The website of the park and Marcinkonys community will find place to publish news on volunteers’ work and life. This will raise awareness of volunteering and EVS among the local youth.

Volunteer working schedule examples:

Example 1

7:00 – 8:00 Breakfast

8:00 – 9:00 Park management structure and importance of personnel work (theoretical introductory part; volunteers will get acquainted with the park’s staff, their responsibilities and daily work)

9:00 – 12:00 Landscape monitoring (practical field activities in the park’s territory)

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch

13:00 – 16:00 Managing landscape monitoring data (computer work, database management)

16:00 – 17:00 Photo management and archiving (computer work)

17:00 Dinner and free time

Example 2

7:00 – 8:00 Breakfast

8:00 – 10:00 Introduction to park’s tourist infrastructure (theoretical and practical activities exploring the park’s tourist facilities)

10:00 – 12:00 Work with the park’s visitors in the visitors’ centre

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch

13:00 -15:00 Guide tour methodology and practical application (volunteers will be introduced to guiding tours in theory and practice. The new skill will be valuable later while conducting actual tours in the park)

15:00 – 17:00 Tourist path management together with the local community (path marking, sign renovation, other manual physical work)

17:00 Dinner and free time

Example 3

7:00 – 8:00 Breakfast

8:00 – 10:00 The importance of sustainable tourism in protected areas (theoretical part about naturally sensitive areas, their maintenance, and adaptation for tourism)

10:00 – 12:00 The influence of agricultural activities on environmental protection (practical field activities)

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch

13:00 – 17:00 Inventorization of protected species in the park’s teritory

17:00 Dinner and free time

Example 4

7:00 – 8:00 Breakfast

8:00 – 12:00 Exposition management and item replacement in the ethnographical museum and park’s visitors’ centers

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch

13:00 -15:00 Monitoring of cultural heritage sites and objects in the park’s territory, photography.

15:00 – 17:00 Cognition of traditional crafts, practical activities (learning traditional crafts – weaving from different natural materials, candle making, hollow bee-keeping, traditional cuisine of the region)

17:00 Dinner and free time

Example 5

7:00 – 8:00 Breakfast

8:00 – 10:00  Updating the park’s website

10:00 – 12:00 Exposition preparation in the park’s visitors’ centers, photo management.

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch

13:00 -17:00 Work in the rare and protected plant collection in Liskiava (manual physical work)

17:00 Dinner and free time

Seasonal occupation:

May - June

On arrival volunteers will be introduced with personal and corporate safety regulations. They will also get to know their living and working environments. Most of the work during this time will be rated to preparation for the tourist season – path and sign renovation, management, exposition renovation in visitors’ centers and ethnographical museum. During these months volunteers will have all the theoretical preparation and will be able to combine new knowledge with practice. Knowing that it’s a period of adaptation in a new environment, volunteers should be prepared for additional challenges.

July – August

Volunteers will be well acquainted with the park, will have had theory and practice, and thus will be able to work independently. Most of the tasks will be related to park’s visitors, tour guiding, research on tourism, monitoring. As most of the work is planned outdoors, a lot will depend on weather conditions. During bad weather work will be concentrated indoors.

September – October - November

Various tasks with nature, culture and landscape management specialists are foreseen. By this time volunteers will have a lot of knowledge, information and practical skills about the park’s protected areas, their importance in nature and local community. They will be able to work independently, communicate with the local youth, and organize presentations in schools on volunteering, environmental protection and their culture. As less work during this time is planned in nature, volunteers will have more time to know the local ethno cultural heritage.