Sulawesi and the surrounding smaller islands were identified as a unique bio-geographic region by the naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace. These islands are now known as the Wallacea region of Indonesia and formed their unique fauna due to their isolation from other landmasses by the deep ocean channels that surround the islands. Sulawesi has a high percentage of endemic species with 127 known mammals, of which 62% (79 species) are endemic, 700 species of bird (36% endemic), and 74 species of herpetofauna (38% endemic). Despite such high numbers of endemic species in these forests, the Wallacea region remains one of the least biologically studied areas in the world, and one of the most likely places to discover vertebrate species that are new to science. The reefs in this part of the world are the most biologically rich of any reefs and form part of the Coral Triangle – reefs with the highest richness of hard coral genera.

The first week of the expedition is spent either in the Lambusango forests in the south or the north Buton forests at Ereke and the teams will help collect data on the carbon, biodiversity and community benefits of the forest which 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 Lambusango forests. The second week will be spent at the Hoga Marine Research Centre which has an outstanding research publication record and a large number of marine scientists.

Forest week

The school groups have the following options

· Labundo village for 3 days and Lapago field camp for 3 days (Lambusango)

· Bala field camp for 6 days (Lambusango)

· Ereke field camp for 6 days (North Buton)

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

· 4 half days of jungle skills training (dangerous animals and plants, health issues, living in fly camps, trekking and navigation, how to find food and water). In addition the students can opt to replace one of these half day options with a short course on learning how to ascend into the canopy. This course costs £80 extra.

· 4 half days of forest measurements. After one session of training, the students will then be working in teams each completing measurements of 20m x 20m quadrats to collect data on the diameter at breast height of all woody species, canopy height, quantity of vegetation at different heights from a touch pole, light penetration to forest floor using a canopy scope, evidence of disturbance (e.g. cut stumps) and sapling density.

· 4 half days learning about biodiversity monitoring techniques and helping with surveys. This consists of a lecture course on Wallacea Forest Ecology including: Biodiversity and endemism in Wallacea forests (Alfred Russel Wallace, why the Wallacea region has unique species), birds (Wallacea endemic species, survey techniques), amphibians and reptiles (snakes and lizards endemic to Wallacea region), Sulawesi mammals (sympatric speciation of bats, macaque social structure, estimating anoa populations) and conservation synthesis (REDD+ schemes, ethical product pricing schemes). The practical sessions will include:

o Bird transect or point count surveys and mist net sampling for birds. Students will also see how mist nets are used and captured birds identified.

o Joining pitline/trapping surveys or civet surveys (Labundo only). The students will help with the checking of pitline catches for amphibians, reptiles and small mammals and also emptying small mammal and civet traps.

o Scan search sampling for herpetofauna (Bala and north Buton camps). The students will practice transect sampling on trails and watercourses searching for reptiles and amphibians on either side of the transect line.

o Night time frog and reptile transects. This practical will involve spotlight surveys of river after dark with a herpetologist to assess frog communities and opportunistically-sighted reptiles.

o Butterfly surveys. This practical will involve working with the butterfly scientist on completing pollard walks and emptying fruit traps for butterflies.

o Farm visit (Labundo only). This practical session will expose the students to the way of life on a small rural farm in Indonesia. The group will have the chance to visit a rice padi and learn about how the rice is prepared for storage. In addition, there will be visits to plantations of cassava, sweet potato, coffee, cacao and cashews.

o Megafauna survey (Bala and north Buton only). This survey will involve trekking quietly along a 3 km transect and recording the presence of macaque troops, signs of large mammals such as anoa or wild pig and bird indicators such as the two hornbill species. The practical will teach how distance sampling and patch occupancy analysis can be used to estimate populations.

o Bat netting (Labundo only). This practical will involve working with the bat scientist in the evening to set and empty harp traps.

Marine week

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

· a full PADI Open Water dive training course

· completion of an Indo-Pacific 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 ( reef formation, why Indo Pacific reefs are so diverse), coral and algal species (growth forms and common species), mangrove and seagrass ecology (use of mangrove wood for fuel ), ecologically important invertebrates (lobster fishery, sea cucumber fishery), identification of coral reef fish (main reef fish families), reef survey techniques (quadrats, transects, stereo video), threats to reefs (climate change, fisheries, invasive species) and marine conservation (marine protected areas in Indonesia, fisheries registration sheme)

· completion of a PADI Open Water referral course (students need to arrive having completed their theory and pool training and then on site they complete dive elements of the full PADI Open Water), which takes the first 3 days and they then join the Indo Pacific reef ecology course. Alternatively, they can take the PADI Scuba Diver qualification which takes 3 days and then move onto the reef ecology course.

Example research questions for IB, EPQ or CoPE

Why are species in the Wallacea region so different to surrounding areas?

How can the REDD scheme be used to conserve forests?

Why are fig trees so important for the forest fauna?

What differences are there between using mist nets and harp traps for sampling bats?

Describe the human wildlife conflict with macaques and how these can be mitigated.

How can you estimate populations of large but difficult to see forest mammals?

What did Alfred Russel Wallace contribute to biology?