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Of course we at Biosphere are totally biased and bound to think that we are running a pretty cool conservation volunteer outfit. So don’t just take our word for it. Have a look at the kind of awards we have won, what the media say about us, and what our former conservation volunteer team members and scientists think. Below are just a few comments we have had from our conservation volunteers, scientists and the media over the years on our conservation expeditions. For more comments and media coverage, go to the individiual expedition or project.  Team members "You have created something big with Biosphere Expeditions and I wanted to thank you for letting me be part of it. My experience with you was not only extraordinarily enriching and beautiful, but it has also put many wheels in motion in my life, amongst other things a new understanding of wildlife and nature, as well as a deep personal friendship. My expedition has been one of the most inspirational and formative experiences of my life. THANK YOU!” “What a wonderful experience. One that will stay with me for the rest of my life.” “One of the most amazing trips of my life – wonderful people, wonderful experience.” “….absolutely brilliant – this has to be the best ever Biosphere experience! Very impressed by – well everything ……” “Fantastic food, a comfortable bed, washing & ironing done, cheetah in a trap, what more could a girl ask for? I loved every minute, even the storms. Thanks for sharing a little bit of your lives with me, I feel very privileged to have been able to take part in this awesome project. I wish you all the best with your work. I’ll be back!” Feedback from team members about their experiences and reasons for coming (on/from various expeditions). “Congratulations for the Biosphere Expeditions idea and the way the staff carries it through with their enthusiasm. I came across you on the internet by chance and your information materials and the way my questions were answered persuaded me to dare come on the expedition. Once in the field my expectations were more than fulfilled. The team was great, as was the food and I gained a real insight into how wildlife research and conservation works on the ground. I'll be back!” "For me this was again a very successful undertaking and I look forward to receiving a copy of the report. Last year was my first venture into ‘responsible travel’ and I feel I made a good choice with Biosphere Expeditions. I would recommend this type of vacation to anyone. I will be back and follow Biosphere’s development with interest.” “The site was extraordinary, the programme was excellent, the expedition leader & scientists were extremely well selected for this kind of an expedition. There was also outstanding care for safety matters.” “This has been the most wonderful period in my life and I am so glad to have had the opportunity to spend four weeks here. Many, many wonderful memories. Thank you Biosphere for making it all possible and best wishes to Birgit & Harald for their work here. All in all a very, very memorable and life-changing experience.” “The group dynamic was excellent...our team leader was excellent - really chilled but directive where necessary and the dive master and his phenomenal knowledge of the sites enhanced all our dives.” “This is one of the most beautiful places I have ever been to and it felt like a real privilege to wake up here and go out diving with the scientists.” “I want to thank you for your dedication and enthusiasm and amazing talents that you put into your projects. I thoroughly enjoyed my Cayos experience. I have nothing but the most glowing, positive comments to make about the expedition.  I hope our paths cross again, both above and below the water level.”   “This was my first expedition and I was not sure what to expect. I was wanting the adventure of a lifetime and I certainly got that and more. A real feel for ancient times, met real people in villages, climbed mountains, swam in the sea. The mountains and indeed the country is spectacular, the Land Rovers are great fun to drive, the camp is great. To see the light and mist appear with the sun shining on the mountains – it’s out of this world. I got to be Indiana Jones for two weeks. Thanks to all.” “I’ve just spent half an hour reflecting on everything that’s happened over the last two weeks – it’s been such a lot! What a fantastic experience. The sun and warmth, the stunning scenery, some truly dramatic surveys and, above all, a wonderful team with which to share everything. I envy everyone who is yet to come here.” “What an incredible experience. Being part of an exciting research project with a wonderful team. I am so proud to be part of something like that and so impressed.”   “A big thank you to all those involved in this wonderful project for giving us the chance to be part of it. I came with high expectations, which have been more than fulfilled. I leave with wonderful memories of the real wild Africa, not just of the game reserves I have visited before. The last two weeks have been an awe-inspiring experience with so many highlights! I hope your continued work is as successful as it has been so for and you are able to fulfil your aims.” “I can’t find French words to tell you how fantastic this stay was for me so you can imagine in English! So thank you for making my dream come true and so memorable. Please just stay the way you are – it’s so good to meet people like you and all the work that you do.” “I am so grateful to have had the chance to work alongside you on the incredible work you are doing here. Thank you for really involving me in all the aspects of the conservation work, and the chance to get so close to such incredible animals. I can go home knowing so much more about conservation work and what it involves, and the memory of being so close I could feel a cheetah’s heartbeat. Thank you also to Biosphere who provided me with this opportunity and for making it safe and fun. I wish you every success for this and all your other expeditions”. “The dynamics between the expedition leader, scientists, guides and cooks were outstanding, which really made the expedition go well. (…) It was amazing seeing conservation in action and it was especially the enthusiasm of the staff that brought the expedition alive.” "I am so happy that I chose to come on this expedition; it has really surpassed my expectations (which were high!). The leadership, staff, organization and opportunity to participate in wildlife research combined to create an experience I will never forget. Thanks for allowing me to pin in :-). I would love to participate in another expedition in the future." "I was very sad to leave. My expectations regarding animals and the research work were 100% fulfilled, but the thing that made it extra special for me was the genuinely friendly and relaxed atmosphere between everyone on the expedition. The group gelled really well right from the start despite our very diverse ages, backgrounds and languages!" "Very worthwhile work. This is an expedition for people who genuinely care about the creatures that they are studying.  Thank you for helping me find Eric (a whale!)  It was very special." “Oh my gosh!  I think for the first time I’m speechless… This expedition has been so many things I can’t even begin to describe, but I’m going away with so much passion and enthusiasm to do more to help nature and this planet and its amazing life! I saw so many wonderful creatures of the deep but seeing the blue whale (and about 10 times with some flukes) was the highlight. My respect for this animal and the work that Biosphere Expeditions does for research & conservation is beyond words” "I'll never forget the first time we saw fresh snow leopard tracks...the whole group fell silent. We were all moved in a way we shared without speaking. I knew then this was something I would remember forever. We had a great team and achieved more than we ever anticipated. Being in the Altai was a unique experience which I'll never forget." “After ten years in the desolate wasteland of 9 to 5 office work, these two weeks have been an amazing inspiration and a life changing event. I could not have hoped to meet better people and look forward to signing up for next year. Thanks to Biosphere Expeditions for making this an experience of a lifetime.” “This has been a wonderful first expedition for me and has lived up to all my expectations…” “This is an incredible area, one that may not remain the same for ever. I hope this expedition may give it a bigger chance. We were very lucky to see argali, ibex and much more. Fantastic laughs and a lot of fun. Thanks to the entire team who kept the camp….” “To be able to come out here, to a place so removed and different from my own, and to meet a local population with lives so different to mine, and to feel that we are working together without imposing ourselves – that is a feeling I’ll miss and the feeling I simply can’t convey to people who have not come here to experience it themselves.” “What a great two weeks – full of excitement, adventure and driving lessons. Great time and a great group.” Local scientists "Biosphere Expeditions' initiative was crucial in initiating our jaguar and puma conservation programme in the Atlantic rainforest of Brazil. Without them this programme would not exist. Their approach is a perfect match between research and conservation and we are delighted to work with them." Marcelo Mazzolli, Projeto Puma, Brazil. "We are always looking for help to do as much research as we can in order to increase our knowledge of our natural resources and how to manage them sustainably. Working with Biosphere Expeditions gives us a great opportunity to do this on our coral reefs. On top of that there is intense cultural exchange leading to greater cross-cultural understanding, so there are multiple benefits for the archipelago of Cayos Cochinos." Adonis Cubas & Italo Bonilla, Cayos Cochinos Marine Natural Monument, Honduras. "It is widely accepted that conservation research is largely under-funded. Biosphere Expeditions not only provides funding, but also the manpower to get the job done.  We are exceedingly grateful for the partnership that we have with Biosphere Expeditions in developing solutions that will reduce human-predator conflict in Africa for the mutual benefit of people and predators alike." Julia Gaedke & Francois de Wet, Wildlife Community & Development Fund, Caprivi area, Namibia. "We see a great opportunity with Biosphere Expeditions finally to establish the status of the Arabian leopard in the Musandam Peninsula – the only remaining area of northern Oman where the leopard may still occur. We also see an opportunity to encourage sustainable forms of travel hand-in-hand with the research and thereby to help ensure some benefit of biodiversity conservation reaches local communities." Andrew Spalton, Adviser for Conservation of the Environment, Diwan of Royal Court, Oman. "Biosphere Expeditions makes research and conservation projects a reality in countries where funding for such projects is hard to obtain. Our research in the Amazon rainforest of Peru is no exception. Without Biosphere there would be no chance of organising such a large scale worthwhile research project." Emma Hume & Juan Julio Durand, Las Piedras Research Station, Peru. “Research teams from Biosphere Expeditions will enable cetacean research in the Azores to increase in scope and quality, thus increasing our knowledge of the whales and dolphins that are resident or passing through. This information will enable us to get a clearer picture of the migration patterns and behaviour of the animals and thus assess the threats they face from the modern world. We can confidently say that without Biosphere Expeditions, this research could not take place.”   Lisa Steiner & Chris Beer, Whale Watch Azores. "I am very glad to work with Biosphere Expeditions here in Slovakia, because they help me to conduct real scientific research, rather than guide wildlife watching tours. Without Biosphere Expeditions this large-scale and urgent conservation effort on chamois, bears and wolves would not be possible." Slavomir Find'o, Carpathian Wildlife Society, Slovakia. “It has always been our dream to conduct this kind of large-scale study. But so far we have had neither the money, nor the people to do it. Biosphere Expeditions has changed all that and enabled us to realise many of our ambitions. The data gathered, combined with the weight of Biosphere Expeditions' international reputation, will be vital in our efforts of upgrading the area from Regional Landscape Park to National Park status.” Zinovy Petrovych, Director of the Kinburnska Kosa Regional Landscape Park, Ukraine. The media "I am back from Oman and I have to say that it was one of the most interesting stories I have ever covered. I have to admit that I was sceptical at the beginning, but the way the team was lead by Tessa and Dom and the way the research was conducted have impressed me a lot. Now I am really glad that organisations like Biosphere Expeditions exist, who offer real hands-on conservation experiences for laypeople, which benefit the participants and the local wildlife conservation efforts. As far as I am concerned it was just a brilliant experience within a great set-up!" Martin Amanshauser, travel journalist. “Being here in the Altai as a travel journalist, this was one of the most exciting jobs I have ever had. Everything was perfect, the scenery, the team, the Russian supporters and especially the expedition leader who did a really good job.” Uli Benker, travel journalist. "I think your organization is probably the most appealing volunteer vacation organization I've come across. My partner said the same, having read about you in the book Volunteer Vacations." Don Baker, founder of www.EvidenceOfHumanity.org. "Fantastic opportunity and a fantastic project here in Slovakia." Kyley Chapman, travel journalist. "If you are looking for an adventure with a conscience and a sense of purpose, Biosphere Expeditions, one of the leaders in volunteer conservation expeditions, probably has just what you’ve been searching for." "Biosphere Expeditions runs wildlife conversation expeditions to all corners of the earth. They combine local people and expedition teams to conserve wildlife and habitats. What better way to spend your holiday?" "Wolves, pumas, mountain cats, bears and other rare and wonderful species on the brink of extinction need help. Biosphere Expeditions, launched by Dr Matthias Hammer, a biologist and Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society, sends out volunteers who contribute both financially and physically to animal conservation projects, working alongside scientists and other experts abroad." "Take part in conservation projects in far-flung places without being a biologist? Impossible? Not at all. Biosphere Expeditions is a not-for-profit organisation that enables laypeople to join conservation expeditions, to protect endangered species, all whilst spending an exciting and useful holiday with a purpose." "There is little doubt that once the adventure has begun these are holidays with a difference, with ordinary people able to directly benefit the planet’s wildlife." "Once again Biosphere Expeditions is leading the way into the future, giving 'normal people' the chance to join a conservation expedition to the Amazon."