THE STAMP COLLECTORS - A personal journey through 25 years of wildlife conservation through citizen science with Biosphere Expeditions
Matthias Hammer
A coffee-table, hardcover book, 192 pages, book size 25 x 25 cm, to be published in the summer of 2026, approx. €30 (including shipping).
The Stamp Collectors is a collection of Matthias Hammer’s personal experiences through 25 years of Biosphere Expeditions, the wildlife conservation organisation he founded in 1999. It is a testament to the power of a single idea and the collective effort of thousands of people. It is a celebration of the ‘life-changing’ events that can occur when adventure meets purpose.
In 1998, a simple question in Cambridge sparked a ‘eureka moment’: Biosphere Expeditions was born in that moment, transforming a childhood fascination with wildlife and adventure into a global movement for citizen science. This coffee table book chronicles a journey that has spanned the globe - from tracking snow leopards in the pathless Altai mountains to protecting coral reefs in the azure waters of the Maldives.
At the heart of this story is the ‘stamp collecting principle’: the belief that effective conservation relies on a vast amount of data that can be collected by passionate laypeople. By training these people as ‘citizen scientists’, the organisation has empowered ordinary individuals to make extraordinary contributions to research. Whether recording wolf tracks in the snow or guarding turtle nests through the night, these citizen scientists – and the professional scientists, expedition leaders and staff who guide them – provide the vital hands-on support that is need to protect vulnerable species and places.
This book is not just a list of scientific achievements; it is a human story of resilience and adaptability. It explores the ‘flashes in the pan’ - projects cut short by war or personality clashes - and the immense challenge of surviving a two-year global pandemic. It also celebrates the ultimate goal of the organisation: making itself redundant. By training local communities and rangers to lead their own conservation efforts, Biosphere Expeditions ensures that the impact of its work lasts long after the citizen scientists have returned home.
After a quarter of a century, as the organisation and Matthias Hammer look toward the future, this book serves as both a reflection on how far the organisation has come and a guiding light for the next generation of conservationists dedicated to protecting the natural world.
Sample chapters
Chapter 2 - Roots in East Anglia, Poland and Peru
Chapter 10 - Marcelo and his squares
Chapter 12 - Reef Check, drops in the ocean and underwater worlds
