International Lifestyle, Asia, 2010

Travel with a

Purpose Try something different and lend a hand to protect endangered species and habitats around the world.

Words & Pics: Biosphere Expeditions

International

Lifestyle Magazine

International

Lifestyle Magazine

Travel with a

Purpose With the summer holidays on the horizon many people will be crafting their next getaway.

For most people holidays are synonymous with relaxation and rest from grueling everyday habitual tasks. But an alternative exists: volunteering during your time off. Various agencies and organisations offer opportunities where willing volunteers spend their holiday doing something worthwhile in exchange of a unique experience.

One leading non-profit international organisation, Biosphere Expeditions, offers ordinary people the opportunity to work alongside scientists and researchers on wildlife and environmental projects for one or two weeks.

Founded in 1999 by Dr. Matthias Hammer, Biosphere Expeditions’ mission is to contribute to the conservation and protection of the Earth’s biosphere, as well as to provide volunteers with incredible opportunities to work alongside environmental scientists. At the same time, they also endeavor to create unique and fun life experiences, in addition to providing individuals with a sense of satisfaction and goodwill in having participated in something beneficial for the planet.

The organisation emphasizes the importance of the volunteers in these projects, for it is the volunteer’s work that makes the research possible. Teams are kept to a small size, between 10 and 12 people, in order to maximize the effectiveness and efficiency of research activity.

return home, inspiring others to make a difference too.”

Currently, Biosphere Expeditions runs expeditions and projects across the globe. Examples include a study of jaguars and pumas in Brazil and Peru; snow leopards in Altai; leopards, wolves and lynx in Slovakia, leopards, cheetah, and caracals in Namibia; Arabian leopard in Oman; whales and dolphins in the Azores, coral reef in Honduras and Musandam, and turtles in Western Australia.

For more information, head to w w w. b i o s p h e r e - e x p e d i t i o n s . org and browse their extensive website. Biosphere Expeditions can be found on many social media and networking sites such as Facebook, Twitter, Picasa, YouTube, Wikipedia, Flickr, and Google Maps. Offices are located in the UK, Germany, France, Australia, and North America. To contact one of the offices go to www.biosphere-expeditions.org/ offices

Dr. Matthias Hammer

Hammer says, “We offer people to make a positive contribution to local communities, wildlife and the environment. We hope to inspire people about conservation by giving them a hands-on learning experience so that they will continue their work when they International

Lifestyle Magazine

International

Lifestyle Magazine

Travel with a

Purpose On the prowl Katie Bunting, UK, goes in search of the elusive snow leopard and is bitten by the expedition bug.

Walking on the roof of the world, where a snow leopard had walked, was an experience of a lifetime for Katie Bunting, a 34-year-old teacher from Bromley, London. She volunteered for Biosphere Expeditions to help with their research on the endangered snow leopard in Central Asia.

Giving something back to nature became a lifestyle, and since 2004, she has been studying bears and wolves in Slovakia, observing parrots and macaws the in Peruvian Amazon, and tracking the Arabian Leopard in Oman.

The motivation to participate in an expedition came from her desire to do something different to sightseeing or lying on the beach during her holiday.

The opportunity to challenge herself, and to learn new skills was one of the highlights of each expedition.

Katie explains, ‘Gaining confidence in identifying animal tracks, and starting to overcome my fear of narrow ledges was very rewarding. In Peru, waking up each morning to the sounds of the rainforest, and seeing animals such as a giant ant eater, sloth, tapir, and armadillo was just amazing.’

People on expeditions come from all over the world and from all walks of life. No specific skills are required as all training is provided. For Katie, meeting like-minded people from a variety of countries, and working alongside local and knowledgeable people was invaluable.

“I have incredible memories of being on an expedition, and I have learned so much about the environment, wildlife, and societies in remote locations.

Being involved has opened my eyes to the importance of conservation, and I want to do my bit to protect our planet’s wildlife”, Katie says.

International

Lifestyle Magazine

International

Lifestyle Magazine