biosphere expeditions 2012

Inspiring Conservation

The BiosphereThe BiosphereDefined in 1929 by Russian scientist Defined in 1929 by Russian scientist Vladimir Vernadsky asVladimir Vernadsky as

““the part of the earth’s surface and the part of the earth’s surface and atmosphere occupied by living things”atmosphere occupied by living things”

The diversity of the Biosphere provides us all with health, wealth, food, fuel and the vital services our lives

depend on.

Human activity is causing an erosion of this diversity at a greatly accelerated rate.

Humans are a part of the rich diversity of nature and have the power to protect the planet.

Biosphere Expeditions offers one way in which people can.

Anyone can come with us and work with field scientists on important conservation activities in their normal holiday time…

…putting time and money into conservation that wouldn’t otherwise be there.

EXPEDITIONS, PROJECTS & TASTER DAYS WORLDWIDE

Charismatic megafauna

Panthera oncaJaguar

Panthera pardus pardusAfrican leopardAfrikanischer LeopardLéopard d'Afrique

Panthera uncia Snow leopardSchneeleopardL'Once

Panthera oncaJaguar

Leopardus pardalisOcelotOzelotOcelot

Acinonyx jubatus CheetahGepardGuépard

Lynx lynx LynxLuchsLynx

Felis silvestris gordoni Gordon’s wildcatOman-FalbkatzeChat sauvage de Gordon

Canis lupus Wolf

Loxodonta africana African bush elephantAfrikanischer Elefant

L'Éléphant de savane d'Afrique

Oryx leucoryx Arabian oryxArabischer oryxOryx d'Arabie

Ovis ammonArgali sheepArgali oder RiesenwildschafMouflon de Corse

Antidorcas marsupialisSpringbok

Tragelaphus strepsicerosGreater kuduGroßes KuduGrand koudou

Citellus citellus Suslik (ground squirrel)Ziesel (Erdhörnchen)Souslik (mammifère rongeur de la famille des "Sciuridae“)

Caretta caretta Loggerhead turtle

Unechte KarettschildkröteCaouanne

Setonix brachyurus QuokkaKurzschwanzkänguru Le quokka

Dasyurus geoffroii Western quoll / chuditch / native cat

FleckenbeutelmarderLe chat marsupial de Geoffroy

Rhincodon typusWhale sharkWalhaiRequin-baleine

Manta birostrisManta rayRiesenmanta Raie manta

Sea spongeSeeschwammÉponge de mer

OctocoralAchterkoralleOctocoral

Eretmochelys imbricata Hawksbill turtleEchte Karettschildkröte Tortue imbriquée

Holacanthus ciliaris Queen angelfishKönigin-EngelfischAnge royal

Gymnothorax funebris Green morayGrüne Muräne Murène verte

Tursiops truncatus Bottlenose dolphinGroßer TümmlerGrand dauphin

Physeter catodon Sperm whalePottwalCachalot

Megaptera novaeangliae Humpback whaleBuckelwalBaleine à bosse

Tree frog, unknown species

Baumforsch, unbekannte Art

Grenouille arboricole, espèce inconnue

Eira barbaraTyra (type of marten / mustelid)Tyra oder Hyrare (Wieselart)Tyra

Saimiri sciureusSquirrel monkeyTotenkopfaffeSaïmiri commun

The workLooking for tracksInterviews(Camera) trappingEducationTelemetryData EntryRecord behaviourInventoriesPresence/absencePhoto IDDensities

Making ze plan ;)Altai

Making ze plan ;)Slovakia

Getting thereMusandam

Getting thereBrazil

Getting thereNamibia

Getting there – or notEmirates

Getting therePeru

ObservationAltai

ObservationPeru / Altai

ObservationAltai

ObservationAltai

ObservationAzores

ObservationAzores

Transect workAltai

Transect workWestern Australia

Transect workHonduras

Transect workMaldives

Transect workSlovakia

Using technical stuffAzores

Using technical stuffNamibia

Using technical stuffMusandam

Using technical stuffEmirates

Trapping & tracking Slovakia

Trapping & tracking Peru

Trapping & tracking

Trapping & tracking Namibia

Trapping & tracking Namibia

Trapping & tracking Western Australia

Trapping & tracking Emirates

Education & capacity-building Oman

Education & capacity-building Altai

Education & capacity-building Brazil

Mapping & measuringPeru

Up close & personalNamibia

Up close & personalAzores

Up close & personalMaldives

Up close & personalMalaysia

Data entry & analysisWestern Australia

Data entry & analysisAltai

Data entry & analysisNamibia

Data entry & analysisPeru

Data entry & analysisHonduras

Bases&

habitats

JunglePeru

Research stationPeru

Marine / beachAzores, Honduras, Musandam, Maldives(this image from Western Australia)

Research stationHonduras

Liveaboard research vesselMalaysia

Liveaboard research vesselMusandam

Liveaboard research vesselMaldives

B&B baseAzores

Resort base (complete with resident kangaroo mob)Western Australia

Forests & mountainsAltai, Oman & Slovakia, Western Australia(this image from Slovakia)

Base campAltai

Historic Austro-Hungarian empire villa baseSlovakia

SavannahNamibia

Lodge & tent baseNamibia

DesertEmirates

Base campEmirates

Achievements

An active role in saving 50 wolves from being declared legitimate hunting targets in the Bieszczady mountains in Poland. This was achieved by providing accurate information

on the predator numbers and by influencing the local authorities who reversed their decision to cull wolves.

Declaration of a national park in the Ukraine, protecting a unique steppe area jutting into the Black Sea and as such a stop-off point for many migratory birds, as well as a haven for fauna (e.g. birds & wolf) and flora (it boasts amongst other things Europe's biggest

orchid field).

Data collected by our expeditions in the Caprivi have helped our local and international partners make arguments that have led to the declaration of the Kavango Zambezi

Transfrontier Conservation Area, or KAZA TFCA. The KAZA TFCA is the world's largest conservation area, spanning five southern African countries; Angola, Botswana,

Namibia, Zambia and Zimbabwe, centred around the Caprivi-Chobe-Victoria Falls area.

Declaration of a protected area in the Altai Republic, Central Asia, which provides the habitat for a number of endangered species including the snow leopard.

Together with our partners in Peru, we were able to halt a dam construction project, which was threatening a biodiversity hotspot in our Madre de Dios study site region in

the Peru Amazon region.

Fewer lions, leopards and cheetahs killed in farmer-predator conflict in Namibia.

Inclusion of guidelines for boat behaviour at clay licks in the Tambopata Reserve

management plan. Guidelines are needed because unsustainable forms of farming, logging and tourism are threatening the natural habitat in Peruvian Amazon.

Our recommendations for the management and protection of jaguars have been incorporated into national and state-wide jaguar action plans in Brazil’s Atlantic

rainforest.

Our recommendations for the management and protection of the coral reefs of the

Cayos Cochinos marine protected area in Honduras have been incorporated into the managing authorities’ action plan.

Together with our partners in Spain, we helped to reverse EU high altitude carcass

removal regulation, which was designed to combat the spread of BSE, but was starving high mountain vultures and bears.

On many of our expedition we build capacity buy training local people as guides or conservationists, creating expedition placements & scholarships, etc. We also engage

with local communities in education, producing educational materials about the value of wildlife and how to protect it and local livelihoods.

THANK YOU & LOOK AHEAD