Six ways to volunteer
From trail work at our education centres to nest monitoring, digitisation and technology projects.
Get Involved
Volunteer with BNHS
Our volunteering activities combine learning about nature with hands-on work. Individuals and corporate teams can choose from a flexible set of options, both in person and online, and contribute to the conservation of some of India's most precious landscapes and species.
Teams of 2 to 40
Come as an individual, a pair of researchers or a full corporate group — we will match you to the work.
Field and remote options
Work in the Chambal or a grassland camp, or contribute writing, design and data work from home.
01
Volunteer at our Conservation Education Centre
In personSpend a day at BNHS’s Conservation Education Centre.
What you'll do
- A guided tour with our team — birds, insects, trees and butterflies
- Clean and maintain trails
- Build bunds to aid water percolation
- Plant trees
Ideal for
- Large teams of 10–40 members
- Teams based in and around Mumbai
02
Assist our Skimmer conservation team
FieldVolunteer with our team conserving the endangered sandbar nesting birds of the Chambal region.
What you'll do
- Learn how the Indian Skimmer is conserved with local communities
- Run awareness programmes and design outreach material
- Manage field data
- Monitor nests in the field (one month minimum)
Ideal for
- Small teams of 2–3 members
- Teams willing to work in the challenging weather conditions of the Chambal region in Madhya Pradesh
03
Assist our Bustard and Florican conservation teams
Field or remoteVolunteer with our team conserving the endangered desert and grassland birds, the Great Indian Bustard and the Bengal Florican.
What you'll do
- Learn how we conserve India’s rarest big birds and their habitats
- Join field surveys (one week minimum)
- Write outreach material in English or Kannada, from home
Ideal for
- Small teams of 5–10 members
- Teams willing to travel to Bidar (KA), Jaisalmer and Ajmer (RJ)
- Content writers willing to contribute remotely
04
Contribute to the digitisation of our historical research notes
RemoteVolunteer with our team digitising historical research notes from our archives.
What you'll do
- See how AI turns 100 years of bird migration records into data
- Quality-check the output before it goes onto our platform
Ideal for
- Remote teams that would like to contribute online from the comfort of their home or office, and at their own time
05
Contribute your skills to our technical projects
RemoteVolunteer with our team working on various technology projects within BNHS.
What you'll do
- Build the technology tools that power BNHS conservation work
- Contribute engineering, product management or design skills
Ideal for
- Knowledge work professionals — designers, coders, testers and devops pros — who are passionate about conservation
06
Contribute your administrative skills to our governance, or your content skills to our outreach
In person or remoteVolunteer with our admin, finance and publication teams.
What you'll do
- Apply administrative, finance or accounting skills to non-profit governance
- Chronicle our research through articles and blogs
- Train as a BNHS ambassador and earn a certificate
Ideal for
- Admin and finance or accounting professionals willing to contribute their time
- Those who have already completed BNHS courses in Biodiversity, Ornithology and the like can apply to become project volunteers at the grassland, wetland and seascape conservation projects
If any of the above are interesting to you or your team
Write to us for more information, including dates, group sizes and what a typical day looks like. Do reach out as well if you have other ideas for getting involved in conservation.
Write to us
Tell us which option interests you, your team size and your preferred city or landscape.
volunteer@bnhs.org