EXPEDITIONS
PARADISE FOUND T he idea behind Operation Wallacea expeditions is that students are able to enhance their knowledge regarding environmental issues, develop their practical skills, enjoy themselves and aid the conservation of the area they are visiting along the way. When a group of us spent two weeks on the small Indonesian island of Buton last summer, we did exactly that. While in the jungle, we carried out daily surveys to collect data on the biodiversity of the area in order for it to be eventually submitted to the government so the area could be reviewed for protection. We were allocated a timetable for the week that told us what we’d be surveying and when – be it reptiles and amphibians, birds, butterflies or megafauna – and on each survey, we were accompanied by an expert in the kind of animals we’d be surveying. They were able to pass on in-depth knowledge and with their help we had the best chance of coming face to face with the animals themselves. We came into contact with myriad unique wildlife. These included mammals such as the Sulawesi bear cuscus (a species of tree-dwelling marsupial), tarsiers (a group of small primates), and Buton macaques (monkeys). Buton and its surrounding islands offer a unique mix of sub-continental and Australian species: the jungle there is one of the only places in the world where you can see a primate and a marsupial in the same tree. We were also taken to survey deer, wild pigs and anoa (a miniature jungle-dwelling cattle, of which there are only about 500 left). Through animal tracks as well as sightings of the animals themselves, we collected data and aided the resident scientists in their efforts to deepen their knowledge of the local mammal populations. In addition to mammals, we also looked at birds (by monitoring them through sightings and their calls),
Noah Franklin (Year 13) joined a group of around 30 Dulwich boys on the Indonesian island of Buton to take part in Operation Wallacea, collecting data and studying the impact of human activity on the ecology of the area. Here he shares his diary of his adventures
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