European Solidarity Corps (ESC) volunteering projects cover a wide range of areas, such as environmental protection and climate change mitigation. Examples of work in short Volunteering Teams include caring for species threatened by extinction. In the 2018 and 2019 calls, 555 contracted European Solidarity Corps projects covered climate action, environment and nature protection, 369 of them volunteering projects (a project can cover several topics). Youth Works Hub puts together here what real volunteers did with animals, on farms and in forests. Our guide on what the European Solidarity Corps is explains the programme.
Last updated: November 2026.
What do volunteers do with animals?
Volunteers at a wildlife rescue centre feed animals, prepare food, clean cages and check the animals. Here is what volunteers at a centre in Oostende, Belgium, wrote:
🦔 Two months in summer 2019: A volunteer from Germany learned a lot about animal care. "Very special moments were when I got the chance to take part in releasing hedgehogs or birds."
🦊 Raptors and foxes: A volunteer from France writes that missions are sometimes not easy, like cleaning big cages or tubing birds, and that the project is a very nice way to see and handle wild species that you don't see often, like raptors or foxes.
🐾 A full year with wild animals: A volunteer from Spain spent 1 year at the centre and writes: "I thrived spending the whole day surrounded by animals despite the cleanings and the less nice tasks that also are a fundamental part of the job."
🦉 A year of animal care: A volunteer from Latvia spent one year at the centre, taking care of many wild animals and learning more about them.
Our guide on what ESC volunteering means explains how these placements work.
What do volunteers do on farms?
Volunteers on farms prepare fields, plant and take care of vegetables and work with animals such as goats and chickens. Two examples from Italy show the range:
🐐 Two months on a farm in Belvedere Marittimo: A volunteer on a two-month Volunteering Team writes: "We started by preparing the fields, fertilizing the soil, planting, and taking care of the vegetables."
🐸 Toads and goats at Monte Barro: A volunteer on a Volunteering Team learned skills ranging from building nets to protect toads during migration to milking a goat.
Our guide on ESC Volunteering Teams explains how team projects work.
What do volunteers do in forests and nature reserves?
Volunteers in forests collect litter, remove invasive and unwanted plants and restore trails. Here is what volunteers wrote about projects in Italy:
🌲 A small forest in Bordano: A volunteer on a two-month Volunteering Team writes: "During the first month of the project we looked after a small forest: we collected litter, removed invasive and unwanted plants and restored the trails."
🌱 Invasive plants and young trees: A volunteer from Poland who did invasive plant cleaning and young tree care writes: "Although some of the work was physically demanding, I enjoyed being outside and seeing the results of what we had done together."
🦋 A butterfly house: A volunteer who did a lot of gardening was not very happy at first, but later realised that working outdoors was good for health and also for mental health.
🥾 Forest trails for one month: A volunteer from Latvia gained practical skills in one month, like maintaining a forest trail and making steps in the soil, and learned how to live with many people.
Our article on how ESC makes an impact covers what this work means for local communities, and our volunteer map shows where projects take place.
Is the work physically hard?
Yes: volunteers on farm and nature projects name early mornings and physical work as the hard part. Here is what they wrote:
⏰ Waking up early: A participant at a farm in Belvedere Marittimo, Italy, writes: "At first, waking up very early and doing physical work was difficult because I wasn’t used to it, but over time I adapted."
💪 Two months of physical work: A participant on a two-month project at a farm in Belvedere Marittimo, Italy, writes: "Two months of physical work in a foreign country can test even the strongest of people."
☕ Mornings at 5 a.m.: A volunteer from Ukraine on a fruit and vegetable harvest writes: "Mornings started at 5 a.m. with strong coffee and sleepy eyes, but once we got into the rhythm, it felt almost like meditation."
🌦️ Work that follows the season: At the wildlife centre in Oostende, Belgium, a volunteer writes: "The workload was different depending on the season, there was more work in the summer than the winter, but all the effort was totally worth it!"
Our list of ESC packing essentials helps you plan what to bring.
Are these projects in the countryside?
Some of these projects are in the countryside. Selected volunteers should be told every detail honestly, for example that they may live in a small rural area, that transport may be only a bicycle, or that housing may be mixed-gender. Many volunteers do not research the country, the city and the organisation before they go, and then they are not happy in the city; for example, someone used to a big city who goes blindly to a very small town. Our guide on how to choose a project explains what to look at.
Are there short nature projects?
Yes: Volunteering Teams last from 2 weeks to 2 months (up to 59 days), excluding travel time. Volunteering Teams are short and take place usually, but not exclusively, during holidays, breaks between study periods or the move from education to work. Individual Volunteering lasts from 2 weeks to 12 months, excluding travel time. A volunteer from Germany spent 2 months at a wildlife centre in the summer of 2019. Our guide on ESC Volunteering Teams has the details, and our article on summer volunteering in Europe lists options for the holidays.
What should you check before applying?
Check the details of the call, not only the country. Many applicants look only at the country of the project and apply because the location appeals to them, without looking at the topic and the other details. Most applications are rejected at the first screening because the applicant did not read the details of the call (the project listing). Your level of education is not a barrier: someone who has only finished middle school can also take part in the projects. Our guide on how to find projects shows where to look.
How do you travel to a nature project in a green way?
Green travel is travel that uses low-emissions transport for at least half of the round trip, such as bus, train, bike or car-pooling. Our guide on green travel in Erasmus+ and ESC explains what you receive for travelling this way.
Frequently asked questions
Is accommodation covered on a farm project?
Yes: in the European Solidarity Corps you have the right to travel costs from your place of origin to the project venue and back, free food and accommodation, and living costs such as local travel provided by the host organisation. Our guide on whether ESC is fully funded lists what is covered.
Can you volunteer in a national park?
Yes: one volunteer worked in national parks and protected areas in Iceland for 6 months, lived in a tent all summer and was at least an hour from the nearest village. Our guide on how to choose a project explains how to check where a project is.
Can you handle wild animals as a volunteer?
Yes: a volunteer from France at a wildlife rescue centre in Belgium says the project is a very nice way to see and handle wild species like raptors or foxes. Our guide on what ESC volunteering means explains how such placements work.
How do you find an animal or nature project?
You find these projects in the ESC projects category of Youth Works Hub or on the Match page. Match asks 8 questions, shows the results as a swipeable deck of cards and keeps saved projects on your profile page. Using Match requires creating an account on the site; signing up with Google is available but not required.
Related pages: how ESC team projects work · how to choose a project · green travel · summer volunteering in Europe · what ESC volunteering means
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=esc-projects
