Marine Conservation Volunteering in Italy

At International Volunteer HQ (IVHQ), we unite people from over 96 countries who want to make a meaningful difference while exploring the world. With 300+ projects in 40+ destinations, IVHQ offers the widest selection of volunteer programs globally—from Teaching and Childcare to Wildlife Conservation, Medical Outreach, and Environmental Sustainability. Since 2007, IVHQ has supported over 147,000 volunteers on life-changing journeys. We specialize in fully-hosted volunteer trips that are safe, affordable, and accessible—starting from just $20 per day. Your experience includes airport pick-up, accommodation, meals, and round-the-clock support from our local teams. With flexible booking options and no change fees, planning your volunteer adventure has never been easier. Our programs run year-round and are available for 1 to 24 weeks across Africa, Asia, Europe, the Pacific, South and Central America, North America, the Caribbean, and the Middle East. Volunteering with IVHQ is about more than giving back—it’s about growing, learning, and building genuine global connections.

GoEco is one of the world’s top volunteer organizations, with award-winning and ethical programs selected by sustainable travel experts. Since 2006, tens of thousands of volunteers have taken part in projects and internships worldwide, focusing on wildlife and marine conservation, education, and medical initiatives. GoEco operates in over 50 countries, providing unique cultural immersive experiences that aim to make a positive impact on the environment and society. The organization also offers internships and academic programs for students. GoEco provides safe and meaningful experiences while promoting sustainable travel and reducing carbon emissions.

Looking to apply your talent and expertise to a good cause? Find a program that matches your interests and skills through Volunteer World! We are the largest volunteer abroad comparison platform around the globe, enabling you to seek and compare offers from major travel agencies as well as smaller grassroots NGOs and local specialists in more than 80 countries. All these with just one click! Find projects in wildlife, teaching, community development, and several other areas. Simply choose your desired destination and desired travel date, and our search engine will compare the best volunteer abroad programs on your behalf. Whether you wish to gain experience at a wildlife sanctuary in South Africa or teach English at a monastery in Nepal, we've got you covered. Volunteer World guarantees a quick and easy application. We will guide you through this process, as well as help plan your next meaningful trip. We provide free access to quality-checked projects and flexible options. And if anything goes wrong, we've got your back with our qualified support team and our refund guarantee.

The Doctors in Italy Pre-Vet Fellowship Program is a unique experience to appreciate the breadth of opportunities that a degree in Veterinary Medicine can offer while immersed in Italian culture and stunning natural landscapes. By shadowing veterinary professionals specializing in different disciplines, you will learn about animal welfare and behavior, basic clinical examination skills, animal nutrition, zoonotic diseases, the importance of human-animal interactions, and many other topics. You’ll spend time with cats, dogs, cows, sheep, horses, boars, rabbits, a spunky llama, and several other animals. From daily care and feeding to special needs, hand rearing, and veterinary checks ─ be in the midst of the action. You will assist veterinarians in clinical settings and during fieldwork in animal sanctuaries and wildlife rescue centers. You will be exposed to various species such as equids, large and small ruminants, wild and domestic pigs, rabbits, llamas, wildlife, birds, dogs, cats, and exotic animals—learning how to approach and care for them.

Do you want to be part of an international crew aboard and help with data collection underwater? We will teach you the necessary skillset for habitat mapping, species Identification and mapping of their distribution, and spotting Marine Megafauna, such as dolphins, whales, and turtles. As a volunteer aboard, you will be a part of the research team, which means snorkeling, measuring seagrass meadows, looking for species, taking pictures and videos of all the different organisms you see, and learning to identify them! While sailing, you will also be standing watches—spotting whales and dolphins and trying to take the best possible pictures of them for Photo Identification with our partner organizations. You will be living aboard a 21m sailing boat with up to 9 more people, giving everyone enough space to find a quiet corner when needed but also enough social areas to live and work together. During your stay, we generally move every other day for a 4-5 hour sail to the next location, which gives us enough time to map and check the underwater world in each location properly and have a look onshore as well if wanted.

This program aims to provide volunteers with knowledge on various aspects of cetacean and marine macrofauna research and vital coastal monitoring techniques. It includes a course that presents a strong theoretical component, with different lectures covering diverse topics: biology, anatomy, ecology of the main species of cetaceans and sea turtles present in the Mediterranean and Ligurian Sea, ID techniques to recognize these species, and the various oceanographic and geomorphological aspects of these basins. Furthermore, additional information is given on the main research techniques used in this field of science, as well as during the monitoring of the coastal environment and data collection. Participants take part in various practical activities to improve their familiarity with the monitoring protocols of coastal environments, data collection protocols used in the field by researchers, ID skills, and photo identification. They also conduct land-based surveys when good weather conditions allow and contribute to species monitoring within the study area.