At the end of July, we embarked on a two-week expedition to Mexico with Operation Wallacea, an organisation that conducts biodiversity research expeditions around the world. Travel Day: Thirteen of us met at the junior school at 4:30 am, tired but excited….

I was fortunate enough to find a place to stay in Split, Croatia for two days before embarking on the mixed terrestrial and marine expedition with Operation Wallacea. During these few days I visited the Old Town, the Diocletian Palace, and many…

Our journey to Hoga was an adventure in itself, involving three flights, a road trip across the island, and two epic boat rides. The remote island has one small village and the Operation Wallacea base on it, and was a paradise with…

This summer I had had enough of being in dreary, boring England, so I did what most people do- I went to Madagascar for a month and learnt how to analyse reef health and identify tropical fish. And it was the best…

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….