Great News ... Honduras has been declared safe for travellers ! The delayed trip is now rescheduled for July 2011 which is fantastic news as this will also give me more time to reach my fundraising target!! I am undertaking diving training during the 2010 summer holidays in preparation for the trip.

I am currently fundraising to take part in the Operation Wallacea expedition to  Honduras in 2011.

My Name is Arnnah, I am now fifteen years old and started this fundraising when I was fourteen, I currently attend a school in Birmingham. I have been given an once in a lifetime opportunity to go on this expedition to Honduras. Honduras is Central America's second largest country, and boasts not only a mountainous landscape with dense mountain and cloud forest. Much of this  bio-diverse land has been much less studied than other Central American countries such as Costa Rica, Panama and Belize.

In Honduras, the Terrestrial Research programme is run in conjunction with a newly formed Honduran NGO called ESAC.  It is designed to produce comprehensive data on the biological value of the Cusuco mountain cloud forest National Park and to monitor change (both natural and human induced) in the communities of a wide range of taxonomic groups.

The ultimate purpose of this science programme is to provide data on socio-economics, forest structure and biodiversity (using indicator groups and population levels of key or threatened species) to assess the performance of the protected-area management. The marine research programme is run in conjunction with the Honduran Coral Reef Foundation (HCRF) for the Cayos Cochinos sites and the Coral View Research Center and Bay Island Conservation Association (BICA) on Utila. Throughout this research we will be conserving a number of different species but in particular the Hawksbill Sea Turtle. 

The initial programme will last for 2 weeks where I will be sleeping in open jungle and must learn to overcome my fears of spiders! The second week will consist of marine based research on Cayos conchinos and its partner islands. The most important thing for me is the conservation of the hawksbill turtle which is an endangered species.

The hawksbill turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) is a critically endangered sea turtle belonging to the family Cheloniidae. It is the only species in its genus.

The hawksbill's appearance is similar to that of other marine turtles. It has a generally flattened body shape, a protective carapace, and flipper-like arms, adapted for swimming in the open ocean. Hawksbill shells slightly change colours, depending on water temperature. While this turtle lives part of its life in the open ocean, it spends more time in shallow lagoons and coral reefs where it feeds on its primary prey, sea sponges.

Because of human fishing practices, populations are threatened with extinction. The World Conservation Union Classifies the Hawksbill as critically endangered. Several countries, such as China and Japan, hunt them for their flesh, which they consider a delicacy. Hawksbill shells are the primary source of tortoise shell material, used for decorative purposes. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species outlaws the capture and trade of hawksbill turtles and products derived from them.

There is a desperate need to conserve their numbers for the benefit of future generations.

 I have never been away from my family before !!  Besides the scientific and conservation aspects, this expedition will certainly provide a massive opportunity to develop confidence, self-sufficiency and independence !  Living conditions are basic and we shall be operating in both rain forest and marine environments - - the learning curve is likely to be pretty steep !!  I also see the expedition as a possible ‘pointer’ to a career path – maybe in marine biology.

In more detail, I will be dumped straight into the Cusuco rainforest in base camp (basic facilities) for a couple of days then we will go deeper into the jungle on a long trek climbing into the high rainforest. Amidst the deafening screams of howler monkeys, we shall be tagging, studying and DNA testing small mammals and rare species such as the pink boa. After recording our data, we will trek back out of the jungle and catch a long safari ride to La Ceiba. This is where we will be welcomed by the locals and learn about the Honduras culture and lifestyle. Thereafter, a boat ride will take us to Cayos Conchinos where will do 7 PADI open water dives and eat local marine-based food. We will study a variety of marine creatures as well as collecting data on their numbers and distribution.  I will concentrate my efforts in this latter period to obtain the data on the Hawksbill Turtle and send it on to the best conservation programme developers.   While I am out in Honduras, I would also like understand the lifestyles of the underprivileged families and seek their opinion on priorities for their future.  Again, this sort of information could also help my own future career direction.

Any donations will be greatly appreciated. Any surplus would be donated to Children in Honduras and their equipment and books.

If you would like to contact me via my email it is ...

ice-ice-baby--x@hotmail.co.uk

Thank You

Arnnah     x