KES Expeditions with Operation Wallacea
Everyone Welcome! Most of what we do is related to biology and natural history, but you don’t need to study A level Biology to appreciate it. You’ll just need an average level of fitness to enjoy the jungle treks and be able to swim for the diving or snorkeling.
Where do we go? Previous trips have visited Honduras and Indonesia but other options include:
Cuba Peru Madagascar Egypt South Africa Mozambique Guyana Mexico We’ll discuss the options and choose a destination as a group.
The fourth Operation Wallacea expedition for King Edward’s travelled to South East Indonesia for the first time last summer following three previous visits to Honduras.
There is a range of destinations to choose from, all with similar elements but with different experiences and the group will decide on which to choose for the next trip.
Thirty five students and seven staff made the epic journey to Buton Island near Sulawesi, just south of the equator, and the tiny and very remote island of Hoga in the Banda Sea. Almost three weeks were spent trekking through the jungle and diving on the unspoilt coral reef in the middle of a major conservation project.
This leaflet is intended to give enough basic information for you to gauge on your level of interest, but there will be a number of opportunities to find out more before making a firm decision.
We think that the trip was very worthwhile and enjoyed by the whole party. This experience is almost impossible without an organisation such as Operation Wallacea, so we propose using them to offer an opportunity to those who will be in the Sixth Form during 2011-2012.
Dates for 2012 We will leave at the end of July or the beginning of August and we will return in time for examination results. The actual dates and the overall length of the trip will depend on the chosen destination and the flights available. We may not be able to give firm dates until the flights become available during 2011 or 2012.
Operation Wallacea is a series of biological and conservation management research programmes that operate in remote locations across the world. These expeditions are designed with specific wildlife conservation aims in mind - such as identifying areas needing protection, What is different about Operation Wallacea is that large teams of university academics who are specialists in various aspects of biodiversity or social and economic studies are concentrated at the target study sites giving volunteers the opportunity of working on a range of projects. The surveys result in a large number of publications in peer-reviewed journals each year, have resulted in 30 vertebrate species new to science being discovered, 4 'extinct' species being rediscovered and $2 million levered from funding agencies to set up best prac-
tice management examples at the study sites. These large survey teams of academics and volunteers that are funded independently of normal academic sources have enabled large temporal and spatial biodiversity and socio -economic data sets to be produced, and provide information to help with organising effective conservation management programmes. The expeditions are now operating in 11 countries: Indonesia, Honduras, Egypt, Cuba, South Africa, Mozambique, Madagascar, Peru, Guyana, Mexico and Guatemala. In each country a long-term agreement is signed with a partner organisation and over the course of this agreement it is hoped to achieve a survey and management development programme at each of the sites, working with the local population to protect the habitat instead of exploiting it’s resources.
The group will help to assay the biodiversity of a rainforest. This is likely to involve a stay in a remote mountain camp and a period of jungle training. Our contribution will involve jungle treks to set and inspect traps, looking for a range of reptiles, birds, amphibians and mammals, and general surveying of the plant species.
At each site you will be guided by local people who are experienced guides, and we have access to areas forbidden to the general public. If you have a head for heights, there will also be a chance to experience dawn in the forest canopy There is an extra charge for the training involved for this. We will work alongside scientists and students who will be carrying out studies that will be submitted for publication later in the year.
This week may be split between two sites, one may be in a village or a base camp and the other in a remote location deep in the forest. The accommodation is just as you might expect in the wilderness, with hammocks under mosquito netting being the most comfortable. At some sites you will spend a few days staying in houses in a remote village.
During the second week, we will stay at a marine research station, diving on the coral reef. Many marine projects require divers and for those not already qualified a course provides training under the internationally recognised and most widespread qualification system for recreational divers (PADI Professional Association of Dive Instructors). Completion of this course will enable you to dive under the supervision of a Dive Master on the project and be accepted as a qualified diver around the World. Knowledge reviews, quizzes and lots of in-water dive training makes the course fun. We will probably try to offer a chance to cover the theory and confined dives before we go so that we can move directly to the open water diving from boats.
A reef ecology course provides tuition on the variety of species on the reef and the with the option of lots of snorkelling on the reef observing a wide variety of wildlife. Qualified divers will also follow a course with practical work underwater. Most centres also offer opportunities to become an Advanced Diver.
Cost of the expedition The likely cost of the expedition is difficult to predict in the current climate, but we hope to be able to budget for around £2600. The actual amount will be determined when we know numbers and the cost of flights. This will cover all travel expenses and insurance, food and accommodation, and SCUBA diving and tuition on the expedition.
Additional costs There may be additional costs for visas and exit taxes and possibly park entry fees depending on the destination. There is a cost for hire of diving equipment if needed, and additional dives will cost extra. Unqualified divers will need a PADI crew pack and on qualification there is a fee for a log book and PADI card.
Further details sgh@kes.hants.sch.uk www.opwall.com Upper sixth who went in 2010
For Sixth Form only Please be aware that pupils who are not in the sixth form in July 2012 will not be eligible for the trip, and we will not be able to return any money paid to other organisations as a non-refundable deposit.
We will offer the opportunity to complete part of the diving qualification before the trip, but this will be at an additional cost. It will mean more diving during the trip, but it is optional as free training is given as a part of the package .
Fundraising Operation Wallacea provide a lot of support for people who want to raise money towards their trip by fundraising, and we are happy to help with this provided that it doesn’t conflict with the school charity fundraising.
COPE We will help anyone who wants to use the trip to gain a COPE qualification. This is worth 70 UCAS points (an A at AS level) and involves a number of skills that will be explained early in the planning.
Booking a place Places may be limited, and they will be allocated on a first come first served basis. A completed application returned to SGH will reserve a place on the list without making a firm commitment. A deposit of £300 will be required once a place is confirmed and details of when money has been committed will be sent at that stage. Further payments will be spread over the next year.
Presentation Evening Parents of pupils who have applied to join the expedition will be invited to a presentation evening where much more detail of the expedition will be given and there will be ample opportunity to ask any questions you may have. The Wallacea web site has a wealth of information if you need to know more, and SGH can be contacted by email for specific que-