Biosphere Expeditions  Get involved Support Biosphere in other ways
|
Look Ahead & How you can help
There are many ways of getting involved with Biosphere Expeditions and joining an expedition is just the first step. We are building an amazing network of people - have a look at how people have helped; we hope it gives you some inspiration. Then see which one is for you and contact us today!
There are many ways to support our long-term goals. You can make a one-off donation for as little or as much you like, or you can contribute regularly by setting up a standing order. One-off donations of over £500 (or the equivalent in other currencies), or regular donations of £6 | €7.50 | US$10 | AU$12.50 a month will automatically give you a membership of the Friends of Biosphere Expeditions with all associated benefits.
Find out more about the Friends and how to make a donation.
Here are a few examples of what we have achieved through donations via the Friends.
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.
|
 |
|
“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.
|
 |
| |
|
| 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. |
 |
|
"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.
|
 |
| |
|
| On the Azores whales and dolphins project, we have provided our scientists with funding to attend an international scientific conference to present their findings, as well as with funding to purchase much-needed IT equipment. |
 |
|
“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.
|
 |
|
"The Friends of Biosphere Expeditions have helped us tremendously in 2010 by funding the entire cost of two computers. These new machines will be used for research data entry and analysis of photo-identification pictures of our study species. They will also improve the facilities for team members on future expeditions in 2011, our 8th consecutive year of study and partnership with Biosphere Expeditions."
Dr. Lisa Steiner, Azores, Portugal.
|
 |
|
"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 Simões, Horta, Faial Island, Azores.
|
 |
| |
|
| 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. |
 |
|
"With the Friends of Biosphere Expeditions' donation we will be able to keep the buoys system up and running that demarcates our Marine Protected Area. Thank you so much for this!"
Adrián E. Oviedo, Executive Director, Honduras Coral Reef Foundation.
|
 |
|
"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.
|
 |
| |
|
| 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. |
 |
"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.
|
 |
| |
|
| On many of our expeditions & projects, we have produced and distributed information and educational 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. |
 |
See more achievements of Biosphere Expeditions.
Involve your company
Does your company publish a company magazine? If so, the editor would probably be very interested to hear from you as they are always keen to cover interesting features relating to their members of staff. Some companies also offer grants or sponsorship funding for environmental work and might be able to help you with the expedition contribution.
Some companies also have grants for non-profit organisations such as Biosphere Expeditions, so why not talk to relevant people in your company? You may have a Corporate Responsibility Manager, or an Environmental Manager or a Communications or Sustainability Manager who may be able to help you.
Some companies are also keen to get their staff involved in non-profit causes and might like to send staff members on an expedition or a taster day, so this is another option you could investigate.
 Example of how HSBC bank in Oman became involved in our Musandam coral reef diving expedition after an HSBC employee took part in the expedition 111.47 Kb
Example (in German) of an article about a Bayer Pharma employee, in the company magazine, and her expedition history 3.13 Mb
|
I’m Axinja Munkel from Germany, a veteran of three expeditions with Biosphere Expeditions. My post-expedition enthusiasm and excitement after Altai, Oman and Namibia lead to a request from my colleagues at the Bayer Schering Pharma to write about my adventures for the employer magazine. Later the feature was also published on the company’s intranet.
|
 |
Raise funds
Support critical wildlife conservation and vital research by raising funds for Biosphere Expeditions. There are many ways to do this. Why not organise an event, or take part in a sporting endeavour? It’s fun, a great way to meet people and to do something different to challenge yourself. By raising funds you can make a long-lasting contribution to our wildlife conservation work worldwide.
Fundraising ideas & tips 66.76 Kb
|
My name is Serge Thebault and I am a vascular surgeon in France. Together with my wife Cathy, our first expedition with Biosphere Expeditions was to Namibia in 2008 and we went back there in 2010. After our first experience, I joined the Friends of Biosphere Expeditions and then got talking to Kathy Gill about helping to set up a project in France. Now we are talking to the governement, NGOs and other people in our country (my neck of the woods is the Pyrenees) in an effort to find a conservation project that would benefit from having Biosphere Expeditions on board. I also talked to my business partners and have so far managed to raise 1000 Euros for Biosphere Expeditions. It’s great to know this will go directly to a good cause that we can be directly involved in and we hope to extend our involvement as our time allows in the future.
|
 |
Make a bequest
Working for nature and conservation costs money. Please help us protect the planet for future generations. By making a bequest to Biosphere Expeditions in your will, you can play a vital part in supporting our conservation work and help us continue our comittment to conserve the world's natural spaces beyond your lifetime.
We understand that making your will is a very personal matter, so if you wish to proceed, please contact one of our offices worldwide or send us an e-mail, knowing that all bequest information and discussions passed on to Biosphere Expeditions is held in the utmost confidence.
Host an event for us in your neck of the woods. Examples include holding a drinks reception in a local pub, a dinner party at your home, a talk at your local wildlife or conservation society, a get-together at your professional organisation or club, or anything else you can think of. We can send you support materials such as postcards and brochures that you can hand out at your event. In addition, a member of Biosphere Expeditions staff member might be able to come and give a talk.
Please contact us for further details and help with organising an event.
Example of a drinks reception held in Melbourne (Australia) by a former expedition team member 252.72 Kb
Example of a talk held in Scotland by a former expedition team member 386.78 Kb
Example of a talk held in London by two former team members 2.74 Mb
Example of a talk held in Berlin by a former expedition team member 18.30 Kb
|
My name is David Warnock. I was inspired by the Biosphere Expeditions snow leopard project in the Altai, and decided to give a talk in my local church hall in Callander, Scotland. Not only did I have the chance to share my expedition photos and re-live the experience, but I also managed to educate people about conservation, raise money for the Snow Leopard Trust and deliver key messages about the need to take climate change and other environmental issues seriously.
|
 |
| I'm Katie Bunting, a veteran of four expeditions and also a Friend of Biosphere Expeditions. I have helped with media activities and most recently organised an event in London for people interested in joining an expedition or for those already signed up who wanted to get some further information of what to expect. I organised it with a fellow expedition team member Steffan Stringer and we spoke about our experiences on different projects with Biosphere Expeditions. |
 |
Local newspapers and radio stations are always looking for new stories, and they are very likely to want to hear about your experiences. Biosphere Expeditions has an extensive storage of high resolution photos and broadcast quality HD films, so please contact us if you need pictures or film clips to illustrate your story or if you would like help with your press release or media work.
Tips on how to write a press release & sample press release 80.82 Kb
Example of a newspaper article initiated by David Warnock, an expedition team member returning home from the Altai snow leopard expedition 2.93 Mb
Example of a magazine article about expedition team member Rasha Skybey (from Australia) and her Oman expedition experience 7.73 Mb
Example of a magazine article about expedition team member Sven Strohschein (from Germany) and his Azores expedition experience 1.33 Mb
|
My name is Jane Orton and I am a freelance travel writer, conservation enthusiast and occasional intrepid explorer! I have supported Biosphere Expeditions’ efforts by writing articles on the Altai and Peru expeditions for an online magazine. This was a great way to generate publicity for Biosphere Expeditions and it also helped me – I am now trying to establish myself as a freelance travel writer and having these publications to put on my CV has been a real plus.
|
 |
|
My name is Sven Strohschein and I am from Hamburg in Germany. It was and is a great experience to be part of Biosphere Expeditions, even if it is 'only' as a Friend or an expedition team member. My memories include being woken up by elephants browsing trees just a metre away from where I was sleeping, witnessing a lion hunt in the middle of the night and talking to local people, discussing their problems face-to-face, all in a way you normally just see on television! Each time I join a Biosphere Expeditions team in the field it is definitely an all-time experience for me and I am very happy and proud to also support their work through my membership of the Friends and by helping with media enquiries in Germany.
|
 |
| My name is Rasha Skybey, and I’m from Australia. Following the Oman expedition, I drafted a little story on my experience which was published on the Biosphere Expeditions website, magazine and e-newsletter. While on this expedition I filmed our memorable moments on my video camera which also ended up on the website and You Tube. After the 2009 Namibia expedition I was interviewed for an article regarding overseas volunteering by a national woman’s magazine. I was also able to share my experiences through a live radio and television interview for a local community radio and television station. |
 |
We always need people with skills who can help us out. Examples are skills in the outdoors, accounting, graphic design, IT. Or people who can help by writing blogs, tweets or talking to the media.
If you have any of those skills or if you would like to help online, then please send us an e-mail telling us what your skills are.
Example of a lealflet designed by Frances Greig, who volunteered her graphic design skills 925.70 Kb
| My name is Alan Hoffberg and I first joined Biosphere Expeditions in 2003 on an expedition to the Peru Amazon. Now residing in Florida and a retired multi-skilled businessperson by trade, I have helped Biosphere Expeditions ever since in North America by contributing my time and skills in multiple ways. For example, I obtained the United States government 501(c)(3) non-profit/charitable status for the organisation and, wearing my trained accountant hat, maintain the accounting records and financial reporting for the North America operations. I have also done several interviews with the North American press when they wanted to talk to a former expedition team member. |
 |
| My name is Jan Biekehoer from Germany and my day job is with German VOX TV producing wildlife-related shows as an executive producer in the natural history unit. I came across Biosphere Expeditions as part of my job and then went on filming their expeditions in Namibia and Oman. I was so impressed with Biosphere’s approach and philosophy that I volunteered my skills in movie production and PR and I am now happily helping them out in just that. It’s a great way for me to stay connected with wildlife-related issues in the field and put my skills to good use for a good cause. |
 |
| I am Ken Atkinson, Australian by birth, but now living in Dubai. I joined Biosphere Expeditions' Musandam coral reef dive project and then simply offered my services as a PADI Instructor and dive centre owner in Dubai to train up Biosphere Expeditions staff to become Divemasters for free. The rest is history, as they say ;) |
 |
| I am Gemma Hunneyball, biologist and full-time mother, helping out from home in Australia with reviewing expedition reports in my spare time. |
 |
Social network sites & Wikipedia
Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube, etc. or help us to maintain & update those sites (for example our Wikipedia entry). See which sites we're on.
Blogs
Are you a blooger? If so, why not create a blog about Biosphere Expeditions and/or your expedition experience and link it through to us. This will help to get the word out there. If you do create a blog, make sure you let us know about it, so we can link back to you.
Example blog
Picture & video sharing sites
If you are putting your expedition pictures or videos on a sharing site such as Picasa or YouTube, then please also make sure you link through to us or tag your pictures to Biosphere Expeditions as this will also help to spread the word.
Video diaries
We would like to build up a library of expedition team members personal video diaries. A couple of examples are below and we would like to have your entry too. There are no limits to your creativity other than we ask that your final cut is no longer than 6 minutes.
Each year, we'll also award a small prize to the best video diary of the year.
Please join in, get in touch and let us have your very own video diary too.
|
|
| Oman: Rasha Skybey. |
| |
|
|
| Slovakia: Kyley Chapman. |
| |
In-kind donations
You may have laptops, GPSs, video cameras, binoculars or other items we can use on expedition to give away. If so, please let us know and we will either use them ourselves on our wildlife conservation projects or pass them on to our local partners.
| I’m Anne Schroedter from Germany and I joined the Azores whale and dolphin project in 2010. Straight after, I joined the Friends of Biosphere Expeditions and when I recently had two laptops to give away I thought of Biosphere Expeditions. One of them is now going to the turtle project in Western Australia, which is somewhat strange since that very laptop had been to Western Australia with me before! For the second one Biosphere Expeditions is currently conducting another assessment of need and will then send it to another project in need. |
 |
Spread the word!
Another way of helping us to help wildlife and people across the world is to spread the word. Word of mouth is by far the best way to get people excited. Talk to your family, friends, and colleagues about your experience and encourage them to join in too.
Affiliates Network
You can also support Biosphere Expeditions through the affiliates network of airlines, travel insurances, equipment & clothing suppliers, etc. Whatever the affiliate and our arrangement with them, commissions and perks gained from you using their services will always be ploughed back into our research and conservation work and to benefit our local partners wherever possible.
Go to Affiliates.
Join the Outreach Network
Biosphere Expeditions' alumni outreach network members are our unsung heroes. Experienced expedition team members who donate their time, energy, and enthusiasm to the cause. If you want to get an independent opinion on what it's really like out there in the field on expedition, contact an outreach alumnus in your area, and he or she will happily try to answer your questions.
If you have participated in at least two Biosphere Expeditions projects and would like to know more about how to become an outreach alumnus, please contact us.
|
|
|
|
| |
| Magazine |
|
 Our annual Biosphere Expeditions Magazine is packed with stories from
the field, achievements, looks behind the scenes and an overview over
our expeditions, projects, taster days and other activities.
|
|
|
|
|
|
