Where does Biosphere Expeditions go from here? 

A Manifesto for a troubled planet

Change is upon us, with climate upheaval now locked in. The fossil fuel industry and other corporate interests - driven by the hypercapitalist fallacy of endless growth on a finite planet and the insatiable principle of profit above everything – have successfully captured democratic, political and intergovernmental processes to sabotage meaningful actions to preserve a stable climate, biodiversity and civilisation as we know it today. Hypercapitalism and society in its current form have no viable pathway left into the future. Whether profound change will arrive through AI taking over, violent revolution, societal disruption or collapse, or an orderly transition is unknown and remains to be seen.

Despite all our efforts, Biosphere Expeditions and countless other organisations and people have failed to prevent this. This is an enormous source of grief for me, but there is solace in admitting it, embracing our dire reality and taking appropriate action. The question then becomes what Biosphere Expeditions as an organisation, and the collection of people who define it, can do in this unprecedented crisis: how can we continue meaningfully in a world in upheaval, and within what timeframe?

The Club of Rome as early as the 1970s predicted impressively accurately that climate upheaval would commence in earnest in the mid-2020s, if humanity failed to change course. The Club also projected societal unravelling to commence in the 2040s. We did not change course; instead we turbo-charged consumption and consumerism, while we allowed ourselves to be placated by performative hope, corporate lies and fig-leafing. Biosphere Expeditions was not an innocent bystander in this, but no more.

This Manifesto sets out Biosphere Expeditions’ path ahead. None of this is a PR stunt, fake news, alarmist or a media gimmick; it is deadly serious, matching the gravity of humanity's situation.

The overarching purpose of all this is to create, extend and empower resilient local networks so that they can protect or rebuild refugia wherever possible after the upheavals, which I believe lie ahead (see our new mission statement).

Far from being a gloomy exercise this provides profound meaning and integrity to our conservation work going forward. It grants executive leaders, professional and citizen scientists, as well as our partners the confidence that their hard work is not merely a symbolic gesture in a losing battle, but a targeted intervention that gives functional ecosystems a fighting chance to make it through the global transition period we have entered.

[Read the explanatory press release I See the forthcoming book that expands on all themes]

THEORY

• Pivot to triage: When confronted with systemic decline, I believe that Biosphere Expeditions’ role must evolve from trying to "save the planet" via conservation research or policy advocacy to targeted acts of triage and stewardship. We will therefore continue field science – not to stop overarching collapse, for that is now impossible – but to record scientific baselines, monitor environmental changes objectively and preserve ecological knowledge that future societies will need to rebuild intelligently.
• Focus on refugia: Rather than assuming all ecosystems can be protected or restored to historical baselines, I believe that we must pivot from false hope to refuge creation. We will therefore focus on identifying, monitoring and defending climate-resilient ecological refugia, namely critical pockets of biodiversity with the highest probability of surviving systemic shocks.
• Empower local guardians and de-colonise: As centralised infrastructure and global supply chains face breaking points, it is my belief that local networks will become primary vehicles for survival and mutual aid. We will therefore continue to use our resources to empower indigenous groups and local communities directly tied to the land to manage and protect their biomes.
• Combat greenwashing and lies: On an additional level, I want to leverage Biosphere Expeditions’ established reputation for radical transparency to reject and combat corporate-style greenwashing, lies or false hope. I want Biosphere Expeditions to create spaces for ecological grief and honesty. I believe that by speaking unvarnished truths about the state of our biosphere instead of propagating comforting illusions, we can free people from the paralysis of denial in order to channel our collective energy into meaningful, grounded action.
• Create an Island of Coherence: Through all of the above, I want Biosphere Expeditions to become an Island of Coherence that will provide leadership in an increasingly chaotic and insane world. Biosphere Expeditions must become a sanctuary where people can ground themselves in reality, mourn ecological loss, and find strength, solidarity and authentic purpose in the face of a daunting and uncertain future.

PRACTICE

• Abolish false hope in all communications: Biosphere Expeditions has never engaged in hollow optimism. However, given the situation, we will carefully review all our communications and remove any language suggesting that things can still be turned around, saved, etc. I will also write a book with my daughter Liesl, our head of communications, about all I touch upon in this Manifesto, in the hope that it will provide explanations, guidance and a sane and truthful voice for some in a chaotic and increasingly unpredictable era.
• Evolve expeditions into hubs of resilience: Biosphere Expeditions will continue expeditions in their current form for as long as feasible, adapting as needed and possible. In addition to our core activity of wildlife conservation, we will now also seek to create small, resilient networks of people united by common goals and aspirations such as the creation and conservation of human community and dignity, as well as the right of wild fauna, flora and places to exist and thrive on a beleaguered planet.
• Establish an exit strategy, emergency support and asset-disbursement protocol: Biosphere Expeditions will seek to empower and make resilient its staff, local partners and helpers, and community at large. Biosphere Expeditions will also create an exit strategy so that once global supply chains and international air travel contract, making continued operations untenable, we can execute an orderly shutdown and disburse assets to benefit those within our network in most need in the coming upheavals.
• Digitise and archive regional field data offline: Biosphere Expeditions will package all historical ecological datasets, maps and field guides into secure, offline, hard-drive-based archives and distribute physical copies directly to our local field partners and indigenous communities so they retain permanent, self-reliant access to baseline science even if the internet or central databases collapse.
• Repurpose expedition gear for community survival: Biosphere Expeditions will pre-position, store or locally reallocate rugged field equipment we already own (such as tents, water filters, solar panels and off-road navigation tools) so that when an expedition finishes in a given region, those assets remain behind as practical emergency supplies for our local field teams and hosts.
• Strip commercialism and step up network-building: Biosphere Expeditions has never had a policy of growth and will now also purge the last vestiges of commercialism and corporate structure from how it operates. By freeing our expeditions from all consumer/provider dynamics and transforming them into joint undertakings of consenting adults pursuing the goals above, they will become acts of ecological stewardship and bearing witness, preparing local people and biomes for what lies ahead.
• Open-source our playbook and exit strategy: Once clear strategies have been developed, Biosphere Expeditions will consider publishing its operational manuals and internal protocols openly so that others can replicate our transition model, asset-disbursement framework and survival networks without having to reinvent the wheel.
• Align mission and policies: We have aligned our mission, as well as our economic, social, communications, reporting, sponsorship, food, equipment, emissions policies with the above and created an exit strategy. These policies makes us unique in the conservation and volunteering sphere.

All these actions cut through the noise of collapse and decline, bringing focus, honesty and purpose to everything we do from now on. Volunteering with Biosphere Expeditions thus becomes an act of active nature stewardship, moral clarity, strategic courage and empowerment. 

I am deeply grateful to anyone who will join us in this endeavour while we still have time.

Matthias Hammer
CEO
Biosphere Expeditions
31 August 2026

Read the explanatory press release

The main themes of the Manifesto are developed in the forthcoming book "MUSINGS ON THE BRINK - The Failure of Conservation and the End of a Stable Biosphere – what it Means for Humanity and Conservation Organisations such as Biosphere Expeditions".

Some reactions

Actually, reading the Manifesto made me cry. Thank you for saying it. It’s high time someone did. Thank you for your courage.
Sanne Wesselman, blogger, citizen scientist and volunteer staff

Thank you for cutting through all the BS and saying things out loud. I am particularly interested in the concept of ecological grief and would like to develop this further.
Savannah Schilling, citizen scientist and volunteer staff

Your CEO’s email about the Manifesto impressed me, and I looked on the site and saw there was an opening for the Azores, so I signed up.
Anonymous citizen scientist

I commend you on the big changes to your operations - very bold and certainly something we can all learn from.
Jenny Mihlai, Reef Check Headquarters

The intent of the Manifesto is clear and I am fully onboard with it.
Simon Thomsett, expedition leader

I strongly identify with the shift in the Manifesto because I have increasingly come to believe that the question is no longer simply how to prevent environmental crisis, but how to understand and respond to a degree of ecological instability that may already be unavoidable. I grew up in China’s Three Gorges reservoir region, and I worry about what increasingly extreme rainfall, floods and landslides may mean for the place I call home; seeing reports of devastating landslides in Nepal made that fear feel painfully concrete. I do not know what the coming decades will look like, but I expect that within my lifetime we will witness ecological conditions very different from the relatively stable world on which many of our assumptions about the future have been built. That uncertainty makes me want less ideological argument and less reassuring rhetoric, and more honest science about what is happening, what can still be protected, and where limited effort can genuinely make a difference. If conservation increasingly has to involve “triage”, I would much rather understand what that means and take part in the work than stand outside it debating what the world ought to be.
Xiao (Molly) Zhang, citizen scientist

I am in support of this Manifesto and its commitments. It shares an urgent recognition of the challenges facing humanity and I believe Biosphere Expeditions is setting a necessary and clear trajectory without relying on vague promises. As an expedition leader, I don't believe my role will change much save perhaps for some honest discussions on expedition, but I welcome the shift to an integral team dynamic where scientists, leaders and participants work alongside each other with shared goals and honesty. 
Darran Keogh, expedition leader

The Manifesto was a great idea.  I have never volunteered with Biosphere Expeditions before, but its commitment to focusing on those aspects of the ecosystem that can still make a difference in planetary survival is admirable.  I particularly like the focus on vegetarian meals and total dedication to the project at hand - unlike some 501c3 nonprofit organizations such as Conservation VIP that incorporate touring days into their agenda or 4 or 5 hours of project work accompanied by a side trip to a tourist spot.
Margaret Satterfield, citizen scientist

The Manifesto makes good points by criticizing money-making conservation, greenwashing and fake good news. It adopts the  concept that giving up on certain areas (triage) is a necessary preparation for the end of the world to save what is left. However, this means humans are deciding who lives and dies based on 100% human-made criteria, which ignores how connected all of nature is. "Lost" areas in one country can destroy the weather, water, and bird migration in another country, and giving up on these areas makes it much easier for big companies to destroy them further. Although money and time are limited and choices must be made, I personally refuse to make my choices as a volunteer based on this triage principle.
Diana Tonova, citizen scientist

I believe that the Manifesto expresses what Biosphere Expeditions has been doing all those years, I am not really surprised by its content, to me it’s logical. I look forward to seeing how this intention will be implemented across the expeditions from now on.
Céline Geiger, citizen scientist

We are fortunate to be able to witness Biosphere Expeditions continuously evolve into such a transparent and clear-eyed organisation. Participating in expeditions remains as rewarding as ever. And it is extremely reassuring to know that our efforts and hard work are having a meaningful impact. 
Sarah Coad, citizen scientist

The manifesto is an emotional read, but it gave me hope. There is something empowering about facing reality with radical honesty, freeing ourselves from false reassurance and allowing ourselves to grieve. Grief can be a catalyst for redirecting our energy towards what can still be done. As a new expedition leader for Biosphere Expeditions, I am excited to be joining a team that creates space to mourn, learn, grow, and turn honesty into meaningful, targeted actions.
Sophie Martel, expedition leader.

As a multi-attendee with Biosphere Expeditions I'm glad to have helped at least a bit so far. The position reached by Biosphere Expeditions with the Manifesto does reflect the position the world has also reached.  Globally we're in a sorry state - noting particularly the very recent predictions about the rise in sea levels in the nearish future.  The world does not have an exit strategy as Biosphere Expeditions is aiming for for itself - there is no planet B, as we all know.  I'm fervently in favour of local empowerment - it will soon become totally impracticable for a bunch of citizen scientists from all over the world to be parachuted into a habitat somewhere simply for information-gathering. Therefore, I fully support Biosphere Expeditions' aim "to build local capacity, de-colonise (our) conservation work and hand over research tools directly to in-country stewards, ensuring field projects yield long-term autonomy rather than fragile dependencies".
Peter Pilbeam, citizen scientist

"Working with and strengthening local conservation efforts is particularly important to us. We see conservation as something that should build local capacity, create meaningful participation and develop long-term relationships with the places and people involved. The Manifesto illustrates this beautifully and as such is fully in line with what we aim for also."
Pau Sills, Ankay Conservation, local scientist Panamá

"For me, the central value of the expedition remains the opportunity to bring citizen scientists and conservation scientists together to collect useful biodiversity data in a part of the world where monitoring capacity and resources are limited. Long-term observation, repeatable field methods and public participation in projects such as biodiversity recording and bird monitoring remain essential, whatever one’s wider view of the environmental challenges ahead. I therefore do not anticipate the manifesto substantially changing my scientific approach to the South Africa expedition, which will continue to focus on robust monitoring, skills-sharing and generating information that can support conservation action (which I believe does make a difference)."
Dr Alan Lee, expedition scientist, South Africa

"The Manifesto deeply moved me by courageously confronting uncomfortable ecological truths that many choose to ignore out of fear or helplessness. I am grateful to Biosphere Expeditions for shaking people awake, offering a practical path to action and establishing safe spaces to face reality together. Accepting that we cannot save everything does not diminish the role of scientific monitoring, as reliable field data is more vital than ever during rapid change. Our research documents real-world ecological shifts, dispels overly reassuring narratives and highlights viable opportunities for adaptation. Beyond collecting data, our expeditions must build local capacity, share vital skills and foster strong networks between scientists and citizens. I strongly support this strategy, which shifts our focus towards what we can realistically observe, understand and meaningfully influence during uncertain times."
Dr Andrea Friebe, expedition scientist, Sweden