WOLFCONSERVATIONWITHBIOSPHEREEXPEDITIONS
"Wolves",newsletterofthe WolfSocietyofGreatBritain,No.1,2002,pages8/9.
BiosphereExpeditions,anaward-winning,not-for-profitconservationorganisation,isofferingplacesonexpeditions tosurveywolfpopulationsinPolandandtheUkrainelaterthisyear.Placesareofferedin2weekslotssothat peoplecancomeintheirordinaryholidaytime,buttheexpeditionsgointoeachcountryforoveramonthandpeople canstayforthewholeexpeditionperiodiftheychoose.Eachofthetwoexpeditions isquitedifferentwiththe Ukrainianexpeditiontakingplaceinahotmediterraneanbeachandforestenvironment,andthePolandexpedition involvingradioandsnow-trackingtheanimalsinsnowyandmountainousterrain.
BiosphereExpeditionsisaresearchandconservationorganisationrunningrealwildlifeconservationexpeditionstoall cornersoftheEarth.Theprojectsarenottours,photographicsafarisorexcursions,butgenuinewildlifeexpeditions placingordinarypeoplewithnoresearchexperiencealongsidescientistswhoareat theforefrontofconservation work.Theexpeditionsareopentoall,therearenospecialskills(biologicalorotherwise)requiredtojoinandthere arenoagelimitswhatsoever.Expeditionteammembersarepeoplefromallwalksoflife,ofallages,lookingforan adventurewithaconscienceandasenseofpurpose.Eachteammembercontributesvaluableresourcesto importantconservationprojects,bothintermsoffinanceandthetimeandworkthey putin,whichresultsinimportant researchbeingundertakenthatwouldnototherwisebepossible.
TheexpeditiontotheUkrainetakesplaceintheKinburskaKosaLandscapeParkontheNorthernshoresofthe BlackSeaduringAugustandSeptember(datesgivenbelow)whentheweatherisgenerallyveryhot.Littledata existsonsteppewolfnumbersintheareaandtheexpeditionwillcarryoutalarge-scalesurveythroughobservations fromanight-hide,usingnight-sights,andthroughdaytimetrackingthroughthesandypineforeststhatliebehindthe beachandsanddunes.Dataobtainedduringtheexpeditionwillbeusedintheformulationofmanagementplansin effortstoupgradetheLandscapeParktoNationalParkstatus,andtoeducatelocal peopleabouttheircanine neighbours.TheexpeditionwillalsolookatbirdmigratorypatternsthroughtheParkandcatchpassingbirdsinnets (whichisharmlesstotheanimals)sothattheycanbemeasured,identified,andringedbeforebeingreleased.
ZinovyPetrovych,theLandscapeParkDirector,saysofthefirstexpedition,whichtookplacelastyear,"Ithas alwaysbeenourdreamtoconductthiskindoflarge-scalestudy,butsofarwehave hadneitherthemoneynorthe peopletodoit.BiosphereExpeditionshaschangedallthatandenabledustorealisemanyofourambitions".
Amemberoftheexpeditionteammeasuresatrack.
TheexpeditiontoPoland,incontrast,takesplaceatthebeginningandtheendofwinterinthemountainousareaof SouthEastPolandwhichborderstheUkraineandSlovakia,intheEastCarpathianBiosphereReserve.Underthe guidanceofDrWojciechSmietanafromtheInstituteofNatureConservationatthePolishAcademyofSciences,the expeditionwillsnow-andradiotrackwolvesinanareawithoneoftheworld'shighestdensityofwolves,brown bearsandlynx.Lastyearanexpeditionteammanaged,forthefirsttimeinthearea,tocaptureandradio-collara wolf,afeatthathasbeenrepeatedagaintwicethisyearallowingforamuchbetter understandingofwolfhabitsand movements.TheexpeditioninNovember/Decemberthisyearispartofanon-goingpopulationstudydesignedto protectwolvesfrompressurestodeclarethemlegitimatehuntingtargets(aswassuccessfullypreventedonlythis
Februarywhenanapplicationwasturneddownbytheministerresponsible),andtoconservewolvesincoexistence withthelocalhumanpopulation.Officialwolfcensusesconductedbygamemanagersconsistentlyoverestimatethe actualnumberofwolvesinthearea.Theyalsoclaimthatwolveshaveanegativeimpactonreddeernumbers. Combined,theseresultsarethenusedineffortstochangethestatusofwolvesintheareafromprotectedanimals tolegitimatehuntingtargets.Thedatacollectedduringthisexpeditionwillbean independentandscientifically accuratemeansofdeterminingtruewolfnumbersandtheirpredatoryimpactonreddeer.Recentexpeditionwork hasshownthatproposedhuntingquotasforwolves(calculatedbasedontheofficial overestimates)wouldintheory eradicatetheentirepopulationthatexistswithintheBiosphereReserve.Italsoshowsthathuntinghasamore significantimpactonreddeermortalitythanwolfpredation.However,moreworkoveranumberofyearsisneeded tomaketheseconclusionsevenmorepersuasiveandtoprotectthewolfinthefuture
Dr.Smietanacheckingfortelemetrysignals.
ForfurtherinformationoneitheroftheseexpeditionspleasehavealookattheBiosphereExpeditionswebsiteat www.biosphere-expeditions.orgorcontactthemontelephone01502583085.TheexpeditiontotheUkraineruns from4Augustuntil15Septemberwith2weekslotsstarting4August,18Augustand 1September.Theexpedition contributionrequiredfromeachteammemberis£990.TheexpeditiontoPolandrunsfrom18Novemberto15 December,with2weekslotsstartingon18Novemberand2December.Theexpeditioncontributionis£1080. BiosphereExpeditionsisanot-for-profitorganisationwithasmuchfundinggoingdirectlyintothehostcountryasis possible(atleasttwo-thirdsoftheexpeditioncontribution)intheformofdirect fundingandequipment.
NotestoEditors:
Backgroundinformationontheorganisationanditsexpeditionitineraryareavailableat http://www.biosphereexpeditions.org.Thepressreleaseareacontainingthisreleasewithaccompanyingphotographsisat http://www.biosphere-expeditions.org/media/
BiosphereExpeditions,Sprat'sWater,nearCarltonColville,TheBroadsNationalPark,SuffolkNR338BP,UK. info@biosphere-expeditions.org,Tel.:+44-1502-583085,Fax:+44-1502-587414 inGermany/Deutschland: deutschland@biosphere-expeditions.org, Tel.:+49-7127-980242,Fax:+49-7127-8878776