Three months free on an unspoilt island? Welsh paradise offers room and board in exchange for minimal service

©Jaz Blakeston-Petch via Unsplash

Just over two kilometers off the coast of Pembrokeshire, in southwest Wales, lies the island of Skomer: almost 2.9 square kilometers of nature, no permanent dwellings, no stores, just nature paths, cliffs and some of the richest biodiversity in the region...

The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales (WTSWW) is offering a few candidates the chance to spend several months in this little Welsh paradise. Their objective? To take part in an environmental conservation project; the volunteers' main task is to count puffins, the bird that has become the island's symbol. The species is currently classified by the IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) as vulnerable, due to its rapid decline in many areas of the North Atlantic. The species is monitored once a year to assess how many individuals are returning to the island to breed. The counts are carried out mainly before sunset, when the birds gather on land, making the operation more accurate.

A seasonal commitment in the heart of nature

The positions available involve stays of around three months, between the end of March and September. Activities adapt and change with the seasons: in spring, work focuses on counting seabirds; in summer, chick growth is monitored; in autumn, attention turns to tracking grey seals and other species present on the island, including voles, reptiles, cetaceans and moths. Volunteers also help with the day-to-day running of the island, welcoming around 25,000 visitors a year.

Room and board

The experience does not include a salary, but it does offer free accommodation, reimbursement of travel expenses within the UK and a bursary ranging from 230 to 460 euros. The opportunity is likely to appeal to all those willing to forego domestic comforts in exchange for a simple life in direct contact with nature. The absence of predators such as rats and foxes, combined with the abundance of fish in the surrounding waters, has already produced encouraging results: the latest census recorded over 43,000 puffins.

A natural sanctuary in the Welsh Sea

The Isle of Skomer isn't just home to puffins. It's also home to some 350,000 pairs of shearwaters, as well as thousands of guillemots and razorbills.

The waters surrounding the island are part of Wales' only marine protected area, making this isolated spot a benchmark for the protection of marine ecosystems. Living here means accepting isolation and simplicity, but also making a very concrete contribution to safeguarding a fragile natural heritage.

Applications close on February 28, and restrictions apply to non-British citizens.

Source : The Wildlife Trust of South and West Wales

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