While some species have very little influence on their ecosystems, keystone species have a disproportionately large impact on them relative to their abundance. Keystone species can be a whole range of things, including predator or prey, ecosystem engineers (modify landscape instead of…

Alannah Clancy Never in my life did I think I’d be spending a week camping in the Mexican Calakmul jungle, let alone fleeing the extremities of the heat and mosquitos. Yet against all odds, I found myself here, having the time of…

The Operation Wallacea trip to Honduras in the summer of 2024 was amazing.  I’m really glad I went, and very grateful to all those who sponsored me, donated money and supported my fundraising activities – Thank you! The trip to Honduras started…

The Opwall experience at Calakmul, Mexico was one that cannot be matched. While the week had many highs, lows and challenges, the skills, information and experience will stick with both of us forever. Throughout the week, we took part in assisting scientists…

The Opwall ecology field expedition to Sodwana Bay was an adventure. Located on South Africa’s stunning east coast, this trip gave us a firsthand look at the incredible underwater world of coral reefs. Here’s a peek into what our days looked like…

This June, I had the privilege of taking 13 students from Woodleigh School on a transformative biology expedition to Indonesia with Operation Wallacea—an experience that took us deep into the heart of Sulawesi’s biodiversity, both on land and beneath the sea. Our…

At the beginning of the summer holidays a groups of 12 brave students started a journey full of adventures, challenges and joy under the guidance of Operation Wallacea. Our two-week school trip to Croatia was an unforgettable time, blending education with hands-on…

The Most De-light-ful of Encounters: Discovering Glow-worms at the Knepp Estate If I was asked to think about glow-worms several weeks ago, images of huge dark caves with glittering ceilings and swathes of sticky bead snares hanging down would’ve come to mind….

Day 1- 13/06/2024- Antananarivo Today we arrived in Madagascar. After a long flight with questionable airplane food it feels good to be stationary. As we cruised through the urban fringe our eyes opened to witness the contrast in the way in which…

I’ve been investigating the fungi in Cusuco National Park for over three years and it’s still normal to see mushrooms I don’t recognize every day during the field season. We’ve made almost 1,000 collections of mushrooms from sampling plots and from the…

Alfred Russel Wallace is a man you may not have ever heard of before – but you should’ve done! He is Operation Wallacea’s namesake, and we feel we should spread the word of his achievements so you can go on to tell…

A week in the rainforest is something I had never envisioned for myself with 7 days of sweltering heat and mosquitos. The contrast of my life back home was extremely prominent, however it made me appreciate the simpler things in life such…