My Nonprofit Reviews

It was 2:30 in the morning. I was walking 5kms in soft sand, guided only by the moonlight. I was carrying a bag weighing about 6kgs, sharing the load with two wonderful colleagues. I was exhausted, drenched in sweat, covered in sand ........ and had an enormous smile on my face. The reason for the smile lay in the bag we were carrying - 75 precious leatherback turtle eggs. We had rescued the eggs from a nest, ensuring they weren't taken by poachers, and were carrying them to the safety of the hatchery at our camp. This was the highlight of my latest expedition with Biosphere Expeditions in which they partner with LAST (Latin American Sea Turtles) to protect nesting leatherbacks, hawksbills and greens - all on the IUCN Redlist - at Playa Pacuare on the Caribbean coast of Costa Rica.
This was my seventh trip with BE and, yet again, it provided many special memories, all wrapped up within Biosphere's highly professional approach to citizen science projects. The Biosphere leaders were exceptional and kept the team informed at all times; as a result the international team of volunteers bonded superbly and everybody contributed fully to the expedition. I can't recommend Biosphere Expeditions highly enough, if you are interested in making a meaningful contribution to wildlife conservation, no matter which expedition you choose to join.

I recently returned home after another fantastic expedition with Biosphere Expeditions (BE) to Tien Shan in Kyrgyzstan. This was my sixth expedition to five different locations across four continents since 2011. Each expedition (to Namibia, Azores, Amazonia [twice], Dubai, Tien Shan) was a unique and memorable experience but there are common threads that run through all of them.
The Locations
All of the places I have visited, from the Khomas Hochland to Faial to the banks of the Tahuayo River to the Dubai Desert to the Kyrgyz Ala-Too mountain range, have been spectacular and breath-taking. Well away from tourist hotspots, they offer a privileged glimpse of locations that many have not even heard of.
Undertaking fieldwork in these places generally demands a reasonable level of physical fitness and I can think of no better reason to improve my personal fitness (and lose a few kilograms along the way) than by preparing for each expedition.
The Scientists
Science is the key driver behind each expedition. In my experience, the scientists with whom BE works so closely are invariably experienced and dedicated individuals. Many have spent much of their working life researching the wildlife and the environment around which each expedition revolves. Whether it’s Kristina showing us how to camouflage a box trap in a particularly thorny acacia bush, or Steve rationalising the decision to introduce a pack of Arabian wolves into the DDCR, or Volodya pointing out the best places on the ridges and peaks of the Ala-Too to scan for ibex and snow leopard (well, maybe, one day an elusive snow leopard will be spotted!), or Lisa explaining what research is still needed to better understand how sperm whales cope the immense pressure when hunting at depth for squid, or Alfredo waxing lyrical about, quite frankly, any of the fauna of the Amazon Rainforest, it is a rare privilege to work alongside them.
The Wildlife
Each expedition that I have been on has enabled me to see plants and animals that I have never seen before. Not always the headline megafauna – indeed they invariably take a short break away from the study site when I arrive! Nevertheless, I have many wonderful pictures of, amongst others, greater kudu, steenbok, Risso’s dolphin, Macqueen’s bustard, bullet ant, ranitomeya flavovittata (poison dart frog), hoatzin, moustached tamarin, long-tailed marmot and parnassius tianschanicus (Apollo butterfly), that are more than adequate compensation for missing out on the jaguar, snow leopard and sperm whale.
The Team Members
At the end of every expedition, my abiding memory is invariably of the wonderful people that I have had the pleasure of teaming up with. Team working, shared objectives, regular feedback – these are concepts that are discussed regularly at my place of work but I believe the only occasions when such ideals have been properly achieved are on my expeditions with BE. My recent expedition in Tien Shan was a great example of this when I had the privilege of being part of an exceptional team.
Thirteen people drawn from seven countries, from Austria to Australia, ranging in age from teenager to the recently retired. A diverse group, we were united in our objective to contribute positively to snow leopard research in Kyrgyzstan. It was a physically demanding expedition and the teamwork was evident every day with everybody keeping an eye open for the safety of each other as we ascended glacial river valleys or scrambled up boulder fields and scree slopes. Each evening, after dinner, we enjoyed telling the rest of the group of our successes and failures in the day - and we were all immensely proud of ‘die harte Kern’ when they became the first BE group to discover snow leopard scat on Kashka Tor. We also had great fun during our two weeks, whether it was socialising in the warmth of the yurt each evening or admiring the bravery of our ‘four horsemen of the Apocalypse’ as they showed the local herders how to play kök böru.
What Next?
There are at least six expeditions that I would like to go on in 2017. Well, I won’t accomplish that but I hope to go on one or two. And I know that, whichever expeditions I sign up for, I’ll experience more fascinating locations, work with dedicated scientists, discover new flora and fauna, have the great pleasure of meeting like-minded people from around the world and I’ll come away with many unique and happy memories.

NeilG
October 2016