Honduras - School Expeditions

Honduras schools booklet 2012

Expedition structure

The Honduras expedition is run in the endemic rich cloud forests of the Cusuco National Park.  The students spend their first week in a forest camp and will be on site with an international team of academics who are collecting data on the carbon, biodiversity and community benefits of the forest.  These data are then being used as part of a submission under the Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+ scheme) for funding the protection of the Cusuco forests.

The second week will be spent at the marine research site run by Operation Wallacea on Utila.  The main research objective at this site is to complete annual monitoring of the coral and reef fish communities. 

Cloud forest week

During their cloud forest week, each school needs to choose, or be allocated if there is no preference, one of the following options: 

·    Base Camp for three days and Cantiles field camp for three days

·    Buenos Aires mountain village for three days and Guanales field camp for three days

·     Santo Tomas mountain village for three days and El Cortecito field camp for three days (most severe trekking)

At all of these options, the itinerary is the same and the students will complete: 

·     Four half days of jungle skills training: learning about dangerous animals and plants, health issues, life in fly camps, trekking and navigation, how to find food and water.  Students can opt to replace one of these half days with a short course on learning how to ascend into the canopy.  This course is run by Canopy Access Limited and costs £80.

·    Four half days of forest measurements: Students work in teams to collect the habitat data (diameter at breast height, canopy cover etc.) that is used for the REDD+ scheme.

·    Four half days learning about biodiversity monitoring techniques and helping with surveys. This consists of a lecture course on Neotropical Ecology including: Rainforest Structure and Biodiversity; Adaptation and Co-evolution; Amphibians and Reptiles; Neotropical Birds, Neotropical  Mammals; and Conservation Strategies.  The practical sessions will include:

o    Bird point counts and mist net sampling for birds: Students join an early morning bird point count and learn how the technique works.  Students will also see how mist nets are used and assist in identifying captured birds.

o    Scan search sampling for herpetofauna: The students will join a herpetologist and walk a transect line in the forest, searching for reptiles and amphibians on either side of the transect line. Many of the transect lines connect with a stream. While at the stream, they will use systematic scan searching of amphibians and learn how to identify those that are captured.

o    Small mammal trapping:  This session involves checking previously baited traps for small mammals, identifying any individuals caught and marking them before release (Mark-Release-Recapture).

o    Light trapping and pitline surveys for invertebrates: A light trap will be set to monitor nocturnal invertebrates such as moths and jewel scarab beetles. Pitfall traps baited with dung for dung beetles are checked and emptied daily.

o    Bat mist netting: This practical will involve working with the bat scientists in the evening to set and empty mist nets. 

Marine week

During their marine week the school will be based at the Utila Island research station.  The students will be completing one of the following options:

·    A full PADI Open Water dive training course

·    The Caribbean Reef Ecology course consisting of lectures and in-water practicals either by diving (if a qualified diver) or snorkelling.  The lecture course on Caribbean Reef Ecology includes: An Introduction to Coral Reef Ecosystems; Coral and Algal Species; Mangrove and Seagrass Ecology; Invertebrates; Identification of Coral Reef Fish; Reef Survey Techniques; Threats to Reefs; and Marine Conservation.

·    Completion of a PADI Open Water referral course (students need to arrive having completed their theory and pool training) which takes the first three days and they then join the Caribbean Reef Ecology course

Example research questions for IB, EPQ and COPE

Has deforestation in Central America slowed?

Why are there so many species in Central American forests?

How do Fair Trade and Rainforest Alliance schemes benefit local communities?

How do you estimate tapir populations?

Describe the social structure of howler monkeys.

What is the impact of chytrid fungus on amphibian populations?

How does DNA bar coding of species work?

Why are cloud forests so important from a biodiversity viewpoint?

How can you quantify levels of forest disturbance?