Structure of the expedition

On the edge of Africa, Egypt is a country that holds a historical fascination for many people. Accredited with some of the earliest records of any civilised society, and home to the world renowned Pyramids and Mount Sinai, where Moses is said to have received the Ten Commandments, Egypt is the setting for Operation Wallacea's only desert expedition. The schools teams are working with the Egyptian Nature & Science Foundation to produce one of the first biodiversity atlases for the country and will be spending much of the first week in the high mountain deserts. The objectives for the research are:

· To complete data collection on target higher plant species in a series of 10km squares

· To complete assessments of grazing pressure in a series of 10km squares

· To completed biodiversity surveys of reptiles, birds and mammals in a series of 10km squares

For the second week, the teams will be at the NSF Nuweiba Research Centre on the Red Sea and will be completing a dive training or Red Sea reef ecology course.

Mountain desert week

The students will start by completing a three-day course on desert survival and arid zone ecology. The skills element of this will teach students about dangerous plants and animals in the desert, disease and health issues in the desert, how to navigate and find water, how to select a safe camp site in the desert and the practices associated with living safely in the desert including water sterilisation, and preventing heat exhaustion. The arid zone ecology course will have the following lectures: Introduction to Sinai and biodiversity (biogeography of the Sinai region, importance in biodiversity terms), Sinai atlas surveys to date (summary of data collected and gaps in knowledge), evolution and classification (adaptations of desert species), desert survey techniques (sample design, quadrat surveys for plants, transect surveys for birds and reptiles, mist net and trap surveys) and Bedouin culture and conservation of the Sinai (introduction to main Bedouin tribes and their culture, conservation issues for the Sinai including grazing pressure and water extraction for tourism).

For the next 3 days, the teams will be trekking in the high mountains of the Sinai and will be living in temporary Bedouin camps. The group is divided into teams and the various teams rotate between each of the following biodiversity surveys:

· Higher plants. An identification guide for the target plant species is provided and the team will assess the overall cover of each target plant species in each of the quadrats. The number of individual plants of target species are counted and the condition and reproductive state are recorded.

· Birds. The bird team completes an early morning transect with an experienced ornithologist to identify all bird species seen or heard and their distance from the transect.

· Reptiles and mammals. Standard search patterns are used to estimate reptile abundance and mammals are surveyed from spoor and scat. To quantify the levels of grazing in an area, the quadrat team also records the levels of dung from domesticated animals in each quadrat. This will enable an assessment of the relative grazing levels by domestic versus wild animals, an important element in conservation planning.

· Bats. In the evening, mist nets are put up to survey the bat communities and surveys using a bat detector are also completed.

Marine week
During their marine week, the students will be completing one of the following options:

· a full PADI Open Water dive training course

· completion of a Red Sea reef ecology course consisting of lectures and in-water practicals either by diving (if a qualified diver) or snorkelling. The lectures cover an introduction to coral reef ecosystem (characteristics of a reef, Red Sea reefs), coral and algal species (growth forms and common species), ecologically important invertebrates (sponges, molluscs, crustaceans), identification of coral reef fish (guilds of herbivores, piscivores or omnivores), pelagic species encountered on the reef (sharks, jacks, trevallys and fusiliers), reef survey techniques (quadrats, transects, stereo video), threats to reefs (climate change, fisheries, invasive species) and conservation of reefs (Red Sea marine protection system)

· completion of a PADI Open Water referral course (students need to arrive having completed their theory and pool training), which takes the first 3 days and they then join the Red Sea reef ecology course

Example research questions for IB, EPQ or CoPE

What are the main human pressures on the St Katherine Protectorate fauna and flora?
Describe the life history and conservation status of the world's smallest butterfly, the Sinai Baton Blue.

How is global warming affecting the wildlife of the Sinai?

Why is the biodiversity of desert regions lower than other biomes?

How are desert plants adapted for life in arid regions?

Describe the bird fauna of the Sinai mountains.

Is there any conflict between Bedouin culture and conservation of the Sinai?