Home  Results Achievements
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• Fewer lions, leopards and cheetahs killed in farmer-predator conflict in Namibia.
• Declaration of a national park in the Ukraine, protecting a unique steppe area jutting into the Black Sea and as such a stop-off point for many migratory birds, as well as a haven for fauna (e.g. birds & wolf) and flora (it boasts amongst other things Europe's biggest orchid field).
• Declaration of a protected area in the Altai Republic, Central Asia,
which provides the habitat for a number of endangered species including
the snow leopard.
• An active role in saving 50 wolves from being declared
legitimate hunting targets in the Bieszczady mountains in Poland. This
was achieved by providing accurate information on the predator numbers
and by influencing the local authorities who reversed their decision to
cull wolves.
• Inclusion of guidelines for boat behaviour at clay licks in the
Tambopata Reserve management plan. Guidelines are needed because
unsustainable forms of farming, logging and tourism are threatening the
natural habitat in Peruvian Amazon.
• Our recommendations for the management and protection of
jaguars have been incorporated into national and state-wide jaguar
action plans in Brazil’s Atlantic rainforest.
• Our recommendations for the management and protection of the coral
reefs of the Cayos Cochinos marine protected area in Honduras have been
incorporated into the managing authorities’ action pan.
• Together with our partners in Spain, we helped to reverse EU high altitude carcass removal regulation, which was designed to combat the spread of BSE, but was starving high mountain vultures and bears.
• Construction of two research bases creating local jobs and capacity.
• We have trained over 50 local staff and rangers and have
involved local communities all over the world, creating livelihoods and
non-destructive, sustainable jobs.
• Over 50 scientific reports and research papers disseminating information amongst the scientific community.
• More than a dozen awards & accolades won.
• Hundreds of press articles, radio and TV programmes creating awareness locally and internationally.
• We have raised awareness for literally thousands of people and created lasting international friendships and partnerships.
• Over 100,000 hours worked in voluntourism wildlife conservation & research.
• Over one million pounds put directly into conservation project worldwide.
• Over half a million pounds put into local projects and communities as in-kind donations.
Our work has many effects, small and large, over and above the dry statistics and main achievements.
Here are just a few examples.
We have co-financed a field research station in Namibia, which is used by
research bodies year-round. It functions as an important centre for
conservation, providing training and a hub for researchers, as well as
employment for the local community.
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“I work at the Hanyini Research Station in the East Caprivi. My job is
to run the station so that research assistants from Biosphere
Expeditions can concentrate on research work that helps to protect the
livestock in our communities and to manage predators. This is my first
job and I am very grateful as there is little work in our area. I am
also very grateful for the work that the research assistants are doing.
Since their arrival I haven’t lost any cattle to lions and hyaenas. My
cattle are very important to me and for my family. Thank you for your
support.”
Simon Naha, Caprivi delta, Namibia.
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| We have also helped to finance a field research station in Peru. This too is used by
research bodies year-round as centre for
conservation & research, providing training for researchers, as well as
employment for the local community. |
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"My name is Aldo Ramirez Mejia. I am 21 years old and from the local
community at Lake Sandoval. While I finish my studies in Puerto
Maldonado, I work with the Tambopata Macaw Project studying macaws and
claylicks, which is supported by Biosphere Expeditions. Traditionally,
my family has fished, farmed and hunted, but thanks to
Biosphere Expeditions and its ecotourism and conservation
opportunities, I have been able to dedicate my time to my interest with
the local wildlife with which I grew up, rather than hunting it. Thank
you very much."
Aldo Ramirez Mejia, Lake Sandoval community, Peru.
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| On the Azores whales and dolphins project, we have provided our
scientists with funding to attend an international scientific
conference to present their findings. |
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“The Marine Mammal Society conference is the largest conference of its
kind, with more than 1500 marine mammal scientists and policymakers
from around the world in attendance. Biosphere Expeditions' support has
enabled me to attend this conference to present our important findings.
I would like to thank all Friends of Biosphere Expeditions who, through
their donations, have made this possible for me.”
Dr. Lisa Steiner, Azores, Portugal.
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"My uncle used to work as a look-out for the whaling industry,
spotting whales for the whalers and he taught me how to spot them. With
whaling now banned around the Azores, I can do this job of spotting
whales for Biosphere Expeditions and its research teams. It's a great
way to use my skills, keeping them alive for future generations and
helping the whales."
Miguel Vargas, Cedros, Faial Island, Azores.
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| On our Honduras coral reef expedition we have purchased buoys and
markers to delineate the protected area to make clear where the
no-fishing zones start. |
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"With the Friends of Biosphere Expeditions' donation we will be
able to keep the buoys system up and running and have the materials to
replace any buoy and also the logistic to provide the regular
maintenance of the buoy systems. Thank you so much for this!"
Adrián E. Oviedo, Executive Director, Honduras Coral Reef Foundation.
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"I was born and raised in Cayo Cochino Menor. The island I once played on as a boy, I now work to protect as a boat captain for the Honduran Coral Reef Foundation. I know these waters like the back of my hand and enjoy sharing our marine treasures with the team members from Biosphere Expeditions. I am a certified rescue diver, in large part inspired by watching the teams work here. I am proud of my country and these islands and feel very lucky that researchers from Biosphere Expeditions are helping to conduct research that help in the conservation of the area. Thank you!"
Alex Solis, Cayos Cochinos Islands, Honduras.
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| In Oman we have purchased camera traps to help local researchers in
their Arabian leopard conservation work. We have also funded an Omani
ranger to join our Caprivi expedition as part of his training. |
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"My work on Arabian leopard conservation began with the Oman Office for Conservation of the Environment in 2002 and since 2006 I have been assisting Biosphere Expeditions in survey work on the Arabian leopard and prey species in Oman. Trhough my work with Biosphere Expeditions, I have had the chance to meet people from different cultures from all over the world and I also gained invaluable information & experience on how to conduct conservation research by working with experienced scientists from Biosphere Expeditions. Through the Office for Conservation I am now studying for a conservation degree in the UK, something I always dreamed of. When I finish my studies I look forward to continuing my work with the conservation of the Arabian leopard.”
Hadi al Hikmani, Dhofar, Oman.
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| On many of our expeditions & projects, we produce and distribute
information and education materials to local children and adults about
the importance of wildlife, natural resources and how to protect them
and their livelihoods. The picture shows an Omani boy looking at
a an Arabian leopard information booklet with a pull-out poster of an
Arabian leopard in the middle. |
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"My name is Emil Respaevich Sanzarakov and live in the village of Kurai in the Republic of Altai. I am a student at school and help my father look after sheep, goats and cows. Instead of hanging around in the village with my friends during the summer holidays, I now work for Biosphere Expeditions, helping with the running of base camp and guiding in the mountains. The work helps me to see and learn about my country as I do not normally have the opportunity to travel and see places. I enjoy meeting people from other countries and improving my English. The money I earn is important for me to help support my family and also to feel independent. When I leave school, I hope to go to university; I also hope to continue working with Biosphere during the holidays."
Emil Respaevich Sanzarakov, Kurai village, Republic of Altai.
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Pete Eggleston, UK
I joined Biosphere Expeditions in Oman in Feb 2006 to survey for the
Arabian Leopard. At the time I was working in banking but had a passion
for the environment, and in particular wildlife conservation. The chief
scientist was Tessa McGregor, and the expedition leader was Dom Hall.
We also had a local guide called Hadi, who was great fun and very
knowledgable. It was one of the best experiences of my life. Dom led
the group fantastically and Tessa was a complete inspiration. Her
enthusiasm and dedication inspired the whole team.
I have now left banking. This year I am due to complete an MSc is
Biodiversity Conservation and Management with the University of London
and I have started volunteering with my local WIldlife Trust. My
dissertation is related to conserving the water vole, one of the UK's
most threated mammals.
Before my expedition I had no practical experience of conservation. A
change in career was therefore, to some extent, a pipe dream as I had
no idea if it was what I really wanted to do. My time in Oman
completely changed that view. I loved every minute of the expedition,
including the surveying in extreme conditions ! The trip persuaded me
that this is what I wanted to do and gave me the confidence to leave
the banking salary, perks and security behind. I haven't regretted it
yet!
Rasha Skybey, Australia
I have, throughout my entire life always been a huge animal lover.
However, my love was only ever really expressed through regular
donations to animal charities or involving myself in the animal law
movement in Australia. I decided that I wanted to do something
different to help our non-human friends and called Biosphere
Expeditions for further information on saving Arabian Leopards in Oman.
I joined up without really contemplating the idea of living for two
weeks without flush toilets, running water, electricity, internet,
mobile phone AND hair-dryer!!! This wouldn’t have been a problem for
those who have camped before, but please note that I had never been
camping. I actually hated the outdoors, and would do anything to avoid
going outside. I refused to exercise and refused to leave the house
without blow-drying and styling my hair, wearing high heels and pretty
dresses.
What did I get myself into? I remember how I felt in Abu Dhabi Airport
before boarding the plane to Muscat. I thought I was going to faint
because I was so nervous and anxious at the decision I had made to
completely step outside my comfort zone.
Thankfully I did make it to Oman safely and I had the best 12 days of
my entire life. Admittedly, the first two days were a bit of a
struggle. My body, which never really walked a distance greater than 10
metres (the distance between the front door of my house and my car)
found the hours of walking painful. After two full days I was climbing
rocky mountains with little difficulty.
I met the most amazing people who I know I will be friends with for
life and ate meals that would put Jamie Oliver to shame. I continue to
reminisce our nightly ritual of sitting by the fire sharing our daily
stories and telling jokes and conducting basic Arabic lessons. My
fondest memory would have to be the morning observation at a nearby
waterhole. The 6 am start was a struggle but as the sun rose, the
waterhole came alive with sounds I would never hear in Sydney. The
sound of so many insects, birds and mammals gave me goose bumps. I sat
still for hours just listening and watching for the slightest movement.
Then finally, I saw it – a beautiful black cat-like creature.
Thankfully I had my video camera and began filming. I took the footage
back to base camp where Tessa, our scientist stated that I may have
stumbled on a new species! She may have been pulling my leg, it may
just simply be a lost domestic cat that ended up in the waterhole.
Regardless, it was still a surreal experience.
By the final week, going without a good hot shower, mobile or internet
didn’t bother me in the slightest. In fact, it was almost a relief to
be free from it all.
So I am back home now and absolutely miserable and considering a career
change...perhaps a wildlife photographer? The experience was the best
thing I have ever done in my life and I have already joined up for my
next Biosphere expedition...see you in Caprivi!!
> also see Rasha's video diary of Oman
Andreas Odey, Germany
I'd like to send you some thoughts about my time after having participtated in the Honduras coral reef expedition.
Those two weeks led me to more conservation diving. I also made a new
friend for life - I'm still in contact with my dive buddy and we have
been diving since. Biology,...... learning more about reefs and doing
something for their conservation - I even wrote an article for a German magazine
. I am also thinking much more about how to spend my holidays with the
environment in mind. In short, Biosphere Expeditions gave me more
awareness about our natural environment and motivated me to learn more
about sea life. I really enjoyed my expedition, good memories, the
natural way of life on the island, the good team spirit and atmosphere
and motivated team members, expedition leader and scientists. What an
interesting and life-changing experience! Thank you.
Peggy Hansen, USA
I did the Namibia expedition in September 2006 and had an amazing
time....as I think all members of the group did. But since I'm a doctor
and we had two leopards to deal with on the same day, I had a unique
experience: I was able to assist the vet in tranquilizing, monitoring,
and collecting samples from the cats. How many doctors can say they've
taken a rectal temperature or drawn blood on a 140-lb wild leopard? Not
exactly what I trained for during med school or residency, but what a
thrill!
Liz Shaw, UK
I joined the Peru expedition back in 2001 when I was a zoology
student at Bristol University. Ever since I can remember I dreamed of
one day visiting the rainforest, so this expedition literally was a
dream come true! I remember having to pinch myself as we travelled by
boat to our camp on the first day, just to convince myself I really was
there!
During the two weeks of my expedition we surveyed parrots and macaws at
a small 'clay lick', where the birds come in the early morning to eat
the soil, and we also performed large mammal surveys in the forest.
Every day in the rainforest is different, and you never know what
you're going to see. It was an amazing experience - from showering
underneath a waterfall, to hearing the loud calls of howler monkeys
ring out over the forest, to nearly being charged by a herd of
peccaries (wild pigs)! And of course not to mention the colourful and
noisy spectacle of over a hundred parrots and macaws coming down to
feed every day.
After finishing my degree, my expedition inspired me to do more
travelling, and also provided useful experience that helped me gain
voluntary placements studying monkeys and bats in Mexico, and
performing biodiversity surveys in Tanzania. It was Peru that had
really captured my heart, though, and in 2005 I was lucky enough to
spend six months working as a naturalist back out in the rainforest -
my dream job! Two years later my experiences came full circle, and I
found myself back at the clay licks again, collecting data on parrots
and macaws for my MSc in Animal Behaviour.
Now, eight years on from my expedition, I'm working as a researcher and
writer for a charity who are at the heart of the wildlife media
industry, and I love every minute of it. My expedition with Biosphere
Expeditions all those years ago really started everything off, giving
me both the inspiration and the experience needed to get into the
wonderful and exciting world of wildlife conservation.
Helge Eek, Norway
I am a photographer and have joined Biosphere in Altai 2005 and 2006,
and in Brazil 2007. Some time before my first expedition to Altai I had
a wonderful dream. I was flying almost like an eagle above the most
beautiful landscape I had ever seen. Lovely green slopes with a lots of
colourful flowers, crystal clear rivers and behind the hills were high
mountains with snow. I never forgot this dream.
Later I discovered Biosphere Expeditions in the BBC Wildlife magazine
and went on their website. And there it was, the landscape of my dream
as part of the Altai expedition. At this time I was searching for new
experiences in life. I wanted to give something back to nature not only
"take" photos. So joining Biosphere seemed to be the right thing to do.
My expedition in Altai was very special and successful. I found the
landscape of my dream and made new friends who I still keep in contact
with. I think my life is richer now and I want to do more expeditions
with Biosphere. For me, it's almost like life before and after
Biosphere. My next expedition will most likely be Peru because the
Brazil expedition strengthened my feelings for the rainforest. I want
to see more of it, more birds, more spiders and snakes perhaps.
Robin Burns, Australia
My memories of Altai are more like a series of slides than a moving
image. The overwhelming sense I have is the privilege to have visited
this distant, isolated and exqusitely beautiful part of our planet.
Wildflowers, wildflowers everywhere! Such a colourful profusion I have
never ever seen before, and somewhat guiltily dropping out of the
scat-search, lay prone amongst them beside a small stream, just trying
to memorise the experience.
I remember meetings with local people - erecting a yurt for us for cosy
evening gatherings, leading us into the mountains, and offering
hospitality as we 'dropped in' to ask them about their experiences with
snow leopards. There was lots of laughter and conviviality at the end
of a tough day. A golden sun setting across the steppe and touching the
distant mountains with soft sunsent colours....
Dave Maisey, UK
My interest in the Altai was started by a university lecturer. I had
never heard of the place or knew anything about it, but was intrigued
when he told us about his experiences. After university I was keen to
go and experience 'real' wilderness and I still remembered the stories
and pictures of that lecturer. So after saving money for a year I
joined the Snow Leopard expedition for 2 slots in 2004. In my humble
experience standing on the tops of those mountain ridges and looking
out over 'nothing' - no roads, no people, no sound just steppe - is a
feeling that will stay with me forever. Also I don't think I have ever
been so proud as when I spotted ibex with my binoculars!Since this
expedition I have been to Iceland to work with scientists investigating
glacial outburst floods and this summer I will be in Argentina helping
projects in small communities. The Altai expeditions left me with a
continuing desire to go to remote places and experience life with just
the basics!
Barry Hardy, Ireland
I joined the Biosphere expedition in the Caprivi Delta in November
2008 to help the local scientists with their work of gathering
information on the local wildlife and environment. One of the aspects
of the project was to work with local farmers in order to mitigate the
human-predator confict. Most of the them are small subsistence farmers,
i.e. they have a few cattle and goats, plant a small number of crops
and use fishing, plants and wildlife from the local bush to generate a
basic living.
We spent time travelling around the villages doing interviews with the
local people to see what their experiences and relationships with
predators were. Involvement of the community is critical to the success
of the project in the longer term. For example, if the local people can
benefit from future tourism and have better income and healthcare, they
will be motivated to support the park and protect the valuable
wildlife. It is their country and they need to be empowered and
rewarded in protecting and benefitting from it.
Showing interest in the local culture and traditions was also valuable
in making a connection with the local people. One afternoon our car
broke down and we spent the afternoon waiting for a rescue. Meanwhile
we were joined by the nearby villagers to play cards: we showed them
our game and they showed us theirs. As evening approached they sang
several of their local songs and we in return showed them a four hand
Irish reel, which they found somewhat strange but fun to try with us!
Such interactions brought home to me a better combined appreciation of
the land and people in the region including its special beauty and how
reaching out to interact with the local community was both a rewarding
experience and critical for future conservation and responsible
development success.
Patrick & Jill Walker, UK
(left and right on picture)
My wife Jill and I went on the Musandam leopard expedition in 2007.
By coincidence I had worked in Khasab in 1980 as an engineer blasting
roads to allow the 20th century to come in. At this time Oman was a
closed country and Khasab a tiny fishing village surrounding an oasis
and situated in the far north of the country overlooking the Persian
Gulf. While I was there I volunteered to help the government
conservation department to record as much of the wildlife and birds I
saw because it was such a remote area. Sadly, in late 1980 a freshly
shot leopard was brought in. Such a beautiful beast and one out of a
total so small that noboby really knew how many there were left.
25 years later while trawling through the net I typed in Musandam
leopard and the Biosphere site came up. I could not believe they were
actually running an expedition to try to find out if the leopard had
become extinct since nobody had been seen any for some time. Thus my
wife and I signed up for the 2007 first slot and joined the expedition
in Dubai.
Despite both being over 60 we found the form of the expedition such
that everyone could work at their own pace and this suited us. We
managed to climb the jebels and trawl the wadis for signs that this
endangered animal might still be around. In the middle of the second
week we were actually lucky enough to find the unmistakable paw prints
of at least two leopards. The species was still around! As well as the
rare leopard prints we also saw lots of signs of caracal, foxes and
hedgehogs all of which were recorded.
Living in tents was an experience but driving the wonderful Land
Rovers more than made up for this. It took me back to my time driving
around in my Toyota Landcruiser. To me it was pure nostalgia to see
Khasab 25 years on and now a modern town with street lights and hotels,
tarmac roads and flower beds. For my wife Jill it was a chance of an
adventure and an opportunity to help on a very worthy project.
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Anniversary magazine in A4 format (good for printing on a standard printer) 
