Hunting, deforestation and overfishing are just some of the threats facing our ecological system and having a severe impact on our wildlife .

In July 2018, I will be travelling to Indonesia with a small group of other students from my school to take part in a marine/terrestrial programme run by Operation Wallacea. Operation Wallacea is a network of academics from European and North American Universities who organise biodiversity and conservation management research expeditions. The research they do is supported by students from schools and Universities who join the programme to enhance their own studies and CVs and to collect data (sometimes for dissertations). The academics benefit from the funding to enable to carry out high quality fieldwork.

The first week will include jungle skills training and aside from learning how to survive in the jungle we will also be taught how to identify tracks and signs and identify bird calls. We will work with scientists to collect data on species and work on Butterfly, Bird and Bat surveys. In addition, we will be assisting with Herpetofauna and Megafauna surveys and receive lectures on biodiversity and conservation in the Wallacea Forests. The second week will include taking part on snorkelling and lectures to look at Coral reef ecosystems and threats to reef and marine construction.

This is an exciting opportunity for me in which I will learn new skills and learn about conservation and biodiversity whilst working alongside scientists and academics. The work Operation Wallacea does is so important for the future and this is an area that I would love to work.

The cost of the trip is approximately £2700. In addition to this, I will incur costs for equipment and vaccinations. Taking part in the Great Manchester Run is a a great way to raise awareness of the work of Operation Wallacea and at the same time try and raise funds to ensure that projects of this type can continue. Together we can make a difference!

Any donation (however small) would be very grateful appreciated. Thank you for your support.