fundraising for Operation Wallacea

Hi I am Freddie and I am excited to share an incredible opportunity I have to participate in called Operation Wallacea.

To help with my fund raising, on 20th April, I am going to do a forty-four kms Palace to Palace walk with my Dad from the Tower of London to Hampton Court - while in a King Julien costume.

Operation Wallacea is a conservation program in Madagascar, and I am asking for your support to help make it possible. It's a global conservation organization focused on biodiversity research and conservation in some of the world’s most endangered ecosystems. In Madagascar, I will be involved in hands-on field research, collecting data on wildlife and ecosystems to help protect the island’s unique biodiversity. This experience will not only allow me to contribute to vital conservation efforts but also equip me with the skills and knowledge to make a lasting impact in the field of environmental science.

Your donation will help cover the costs of journey, equipment, and the scientific equipment, and in return, you will be helping to protect one of the most extraordinary places on Earth. Every donation, big or small, will bring me one step closer to this life-changing experience and support a cause that benefits our planet. Thank you for considering a donation to this meaningful project!

But what is it?

Operation Wallacea (Opwall) began working within the Wallacea region of Indonesia in 1995. Initially funded to run a rapid assessment of this poorly explored area, we soon discovered that the need for long term monitoring data in many ecosystems was critical.

Nearly 30 years on, they now run biodiversity research expeditions all over the world, sourcing data that has underpinned hundreds of research papers and informed high-level environmental policy decisions in the sites they work in.

Where is it?

Research is completed at a series of forest camps in the Mahamavo forest. When I get there a programme in an introduction to Madagascar Wildlife and Conservation course alongside practicals in survey techniques. I will be helping teams of field biologists complete standardised surveys on a series of key taxa.

The Mahamavo forests are dry, deciduous forests which are becoming increasingly scarce as deforestation continues to threaten habitats across the island. These surveys are aimed at assessing the biodiversity of the community managed forests here and collecting data focusing on long term trends in species populations and habitat use.

In the second week I will be in the marine site (Nosy Be), a small island off the north west of Madagascar, I am spending my first week at a centre completing an SSI Open Water dive training course, before moving onto the Indian ocean reef ecology course in my next week. This course consists of lectures, morning, and afternoon in-water practicals, and trains me in some of the survey techniques used in the marine environment to assess the status of reefs and their associated fish communities. My first week is on the Indian ocean reef ecology course and the second would be spent collaborating with different researchers on site. Projects I will join include monitoring of fish populations, reef structure surveys and coral watch.