In geology, time is divided not by years but by geological or paleontological events based on information from the strata (layers of rock in the Earth). The categories of geological time are listed in order below: Eon – the largest unit on…

This summer, I had the incredible opportunity to spend four weeks as a research assistant in the stunning landscapes of Madagascar. Little did I know that not only would I be navigating the challenges of fieldwork, but I would also test friendships…

Testing new methods to study reptile thermal ecology – PhD adventures of another PhD student in Mexico   It’s been a while since you’ve heard all about my PhD dreams of studying the thermal ecology of the dwarf caimans in the Peruvian…

These holidays we were lucky enough to travel to a very remote part of Indonesia with an organisation called Operation Wallacea. Operation Wallacea is an environmental research and conservation expedition organisation. Our program took place in the Wakatobi National Park on a…

Coral reefs are among the most biologically diverse and valuable ecosystems on the planet! Globally there are 34 known animal phyla, 9 of which are found in tropical rainforests whereas a whopping 32 are found on coral reefs. Approximately 25% of all…

Knepp Estate Intensive farming of Knepp Estate left ecosystem functionality in tatters, however, since rewilding of the 3500 acres began in 2002, this has gradually recovered. But how do we know this? The answer, lots of ecological surveys! Monitoring of the diversity…

Hi! My name is Aidan and I have just completed a 4 week long internship with Operation Wallacea in Croatia on the island of Silba. There’s been so much to see, so much to do so I’ll try and keep it as…

We had slept up the hill the night before the T1 megafauna transect because we had been doing a bat survey in the primary forest. Arthur brought our breakfast up for us so we could eat before the transect. Apparently, on their…

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…

Every summer students arrive in OpWall field sites to collect data for their undergraduate or MSc research project. As a field scientist at the Madagascar site, I have seen many of these students in the forest. As a lecturer, I have supervised many student…

It’s 10:30pm, my fellow bat scientist is curled up in a rice sack trying to stay warm, the guide is huddled at the base of a tree keeping a look out. I check the time, gather up my gloves, head torch and…

It was amazing to gain first-hand fieldwork experience with Operation Wallacea at the terrestrial site in Krka National Park and the marine site on Silba Island! Conducting biodiversity surveys in Croatia was a great introduction to conservation and ecological field techniques and also…