Award-winning, non-profit & ethical wildlife conservation volunteering. Advancing citizen science & conservation since 1999
Update from our elephant conservation Malawi expedition
We are now in the groove of field work and data collection, much helped by the generous actions of the Vwaza wildlife.
Continue reading “Elephant conservation Malawi 2026: Big beasts”
There is something exciting about walking through a forest knowing that wolves are somewhere out there, even if you don’t see one. Suddenly, a set of paw prints or a piece of scat is no longer something you just walk past. It is evidence, and learning how to find and interpret that evidence is at the heart of Biosphere Expeditions’ Germany wolf project in Germany.
Continue reading “What Volunteering With Wolves in Germany Is Really Like”Update from our lion conservation Malawi expedition
We have been busy. Bird transects, elephant counts, hippo transects, elephant dung analysis and camera trapping.
We start early with dawn drives or the bird transects. 05:00 up and out. Back for one of Luka’s amazing breakfasts (pancakes are popular) and then out again. Either on foot for the Hippo transects or into the vehicles for elephant counts. The elephants paid a 03:00 visit to camp this morning too.
Continue reading “Lion conservation Malawi 2026: Lights, camera, action!”Update from our Malawi expedition volunteering with elephants, hippo, lion and African biodiversity
The expedition team reached base on Saturday after a 450 km bus journey and a mishap 1.5 km from base. The bus git stuck, but no problem – we dispatched a vehicle recovery team and got to practice our skills.
Continue reading “Wildlife conservation Malawi 2026: Underway”Update from our Malawi expedition volunteering with elephants, hippo, lion and African biodiversity
Us staffers (see picture) got together in Lilongwe to load up supplies for a month and trying to leave enough room for the five of us! All went well until four hours into the journey to Vwaza master chef Luka announced that we needed another half-tonne of fresh veg….
Continue reading “Malawi African biodiversity study 2026: At base”Update from our Malawi expedition volunteering with elephants, hippo, lion and African biodiversity
Welcome to the 2026 Malawi diary. My name is Simon and I will be your expedition leader on this African biodiversity expedition to Malawi studying elephants, lions, hippos and other species.
I arrived on Sunday and met with our in-country partners, the Lilongwe Wildlife Trust (LWT). On Tuesday we all head to our camp in Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve to get everything ready for the arrival of African biodiversity survey team 1 on Saturday. I hope your preparations are going well and you are excited about the expedition.
Continue reading “Malawi African biodiversity study 2026: Getting ready”Media release – 1 September 2026
Biosphere Expeditions calls for radical truth-telling, conservation triage and unvarnished realism in the face of escalating planetary calamities.
International wildlife conservation organisation Biosphere Expeditions has launched a “Manifesto for a troubled planet” confronting the reality of global climate and ecological disruptions. The document calls on scientists, conservationists and the public to abandon “performative hope” and comforting narratives, demanding instead an era of unvarnished truth-telling, hard-headed conservation triage and direct citizen science action on a finite planet.
The release comes as climate disruption is now locked in, planetary boundaries are breached, ecosystems face irreversible tipping points and conventional conservation approaches continue to celebrate minor successes while ignoring systemic biosphere unravelling.
Continue reading “Biosphere Expeditions “Manifesto for a Troubled Planet” demands an end to performative hope amid accelerating planetary upheavals”
Biosphere Expeditions is planning two new expedition. Below are the details as know so far.
You can also register your interest below. Those who do, will get first notification when the expedition accepts sign-ups, five days before the expedition goes public.
Continue reading “Previews: Two new expeditions”Update from our Tien Shan snow leopard expedition
“It’s a nice office you have here.” Barry’s words brought me right back to Earth as I sat sipping hot tea from my thermos. We are currently journeying back from servicing our final camera trap of the season, and I am jotting down notes while looking across the valley at giant glaciers that are normally hidden from view from our base camp. We are in raptures high up in the Jiluu-Suu (“hot water”) valley, taking it all in.
Continue reading “Tien Shan snow leopard 2026: Jiluu-Suu and goodbye”Update from our snow leopard Kyrgyzstan expedition
We’ve hit the halfway mark for our final group of the season. Camp is quiet as all the team are out exploring the area. I find myself at camp in a period of quiet reflection.
Continue reading “Tien Shan snow leopard Kyrgyzstan 2026: Rest day”