What is Operation Wallacea?

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 - from identifying areas needing protection, through to implementing and assessing conservation management programmes. 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 and are concentrated at the target study sites giving volunteers on site 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 re-discovered and $2 million levered from funding agencies to set up best practice 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 7 countries: Indonesia, Honduras, Egypt, Cuba, South Africa, Mozambique and Peru.  In each country a long-term agreement is signed with a partner organisation (eg Honduran Coral Reef Foundation in Honduras, Fund Amazonia in Peru, WEI in South Africa, BioMap in Egypt, Peace parks Foundation in Mozambique) and over the course of this agreement it is hoped to achieve a survey and management development programme at each of the sites. On occasions though a competent local partner organisation is not available.  In these cases Operation Wallacea mentors the formation of a new NGO formed from local staff who have provided successful input to the stage 1 surveys (eg Lawane Ecotone and Centre for Eastern Indonesia Marine Research in Indonesia and Expediciones de Merendon in Honduras).

Global Research and Conservation Management Strategy
The vast majority of science programmes that deliver key research outcomes are characterised by short term funding with restricted aims bio-geographical ranges. Long-term projects covering large bio-geographical scales and that incorporate more than one ecosystem are rare. The Operation Wallacea programme provides the opportunity to consider science and conservation of key ecosystems from a global perspective. Operation Wallacea is able to draw upon researchers from a wide range of different disciplines and academic institutions to address major issues related to the sustainable management and conservation of some of the worlds most diverse but threatened environments.

A global research and conservation strategy has been developed and is applied in 4 stages at each of the sites. This includes an initial assessment of the biological value of the site (stage 1).  If the site is accepted into the Op Wall programme then an ecosystem monitoring programme is established to determine the direction of change (stage 2).  If this reveals a continuing decline then a programme for monitoring socio-economic change in adjacent communities is established to determine how these communities interact with the study site (stage 3).  Once these stage 2 and stage 3 data are obtained funding applications are submitted to establish a best practice example of conservation management and the success of these programmes are then monitored (stage 4). There is obviously some considerable overlap between these stages and stage 1 projects can still be running in addition to a stage 4 programme in order to add data to understanding the ecosystem requirements of target species or adding to the overall species lists for previously un-worked taxa. 

Stage 1: Assessing ecosystem diversity and function
The first stage at a new site is to determine the relative biodiversity value of the site to determine whether it is worthy of protection or if it is already protected whether it will make a valuable long term study site for the Operation Wallacea research teams.  In order to assess the importance of a site, taxonomic groups about which data have been obtained from similar habitats elsewhere in the region are studied, so the relative value of the studied site can be set in context.  Examples of this type of survey include the atlas distributional surveys in the Isimangaliso National Park, South Africa, the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique and the St Katherine Protectorate in Egypt and the coral reef surveys in Cuba.  However, even after determination of the relative value of a site, additional data on other taxonomic groups are added as different specialists opportunistically join the programmes. Examples of this type of survey include the Crustacean surveys completed in Utila, Honduras, the continuing woody plant surveys of the Cusuco cloud forest National Park in Honduras, and sponge diversity in the Wakatobi National Park in Indonesia etc.  These data add to the species diversity knowledge of the site, but understanding the ecosystem requirements of key species is an equally important element of study. Examples of this type of study are the habitat, behavioural and seed dispersing abilities of primates such as macaques in Indonesia, mantled howler monkeys in Honduras and red uakari monkeys in Peru, civet ecology studies in the Lambusango forests, Indonesia, various research partitioning studies of coral reef fish and the causation of patch reef diversity and physiological adaptations of inter-tidal organisms in the Wakatobi National Park in Indonesia.  Understanding the connectivity of various ecosystems is another part of this research theme and is best exemplified by the use of mangrove, seagrass and coral reef habitats by various fish species in the Caribbean and Indo-Pacific. 

Stage 2: Monitoring ecosystem change
Once a site has been identified as worthy of inclusion as a long term study area for the Operation Wallacea research teams, a monitoring programme for the study site is established so changes in the ecosystems can be assessed. Examples of these studies include the large scale forest structure and faunal studies in the Lambusango forest in Indonesia and the Cusuco National Park in Honduras, the annual surveys of coral, invertebrates and fish on a range of transects in the Wakatobi National Park, Indonesia, Utila and Cayos Cochinos Islands in Honduras and the Ras Mohammed Park in Egypt.  These surveys often lead to more detailed studies of aspects of the ecosystem where there appears to be an anthropogenic impact.  Examples of these studies include monitoring of artisanal fisheries in the Wakatobi Marine National Park, Indonesia; stable isotope surveys to determine sources of water quality impacts on the reefs of Utila and Cayos Cochinos Islands in Honduras, levels of hunting pressure on large mammals, caiman and river turtles in the Lago Preto and Pacaya Samiria reserves in the Amazon, Peru etc.  Monitoring population levels of keystone species in the ecosystems is also an important element of these monitoring programmes and examples of these studies include the anoa surveys in the Lambusango forests in Indonesia, Baird’s Tapir surveys in the Cusuco National Park in Honduras, turtle surveys in the Guanahacabibes Biosphere Reserve in Cuba and the primate, macaw and dolphin population studies in the Amazon, Peru

Stage 3: Monitoring socio-economic change
Conservation of the sites included in the Operation Wallacea programme though needs the co-operation of adjacent communities and data on how these communities interact with the study sites.  Examples of this type of study include the surveys of household income, attitudes to the adjacent protected area and levels of compliance with the protected area’s rules in the Lambusango forest, Indonesia, the Cusuco National Park and the Cayos Cochinos Marine protected Area in Honduras. Stage 3 studies are launched once the decision has been made that there are sufficient biological data and knowledge about the ecosystems to complete a detailed funding application to support the establishment of a best practice example of conservation management in the study area.

Community benefits

Throughout these 4 stages of development, an additional objective of the programmes is to develop financial benefits to local communities from protecting the studied areas.  Wherever possible the expeditions are organised in close co-operation with the local communities and substantial benefits accrue to those communities through providing accommodation, food, transport, manpower etc.  In addition to the direct economic input from the expeditions though, emphasis is placed on the development of businesses that can provide alternative incomes to local communities (eg coral growing for the aquarists market in Kaledupa, Wildlife Conservation Product prices for cashews, chocolate and coffee in Indonesia and Honduras etc) in the additional funding applications made. 

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