‘It opened my eyes to the possibilities of another way of living. Out in nature, you actually need less to be happy and fulfilled.’

When she stepped foot on Arabian soil back in 2006, Malika Fettak had no idea how influential and life-changing it would become. Starting as a citizen scientist with Biosphere Expeditions, she eventually landed a job with them, initially as part of their marketing team. However, she craved being back in the field and so jumped at the chance of becoming an expedition leader, taking on the responsibility for teams of citizen and professional scientists as well as a handful of staff and helpers; mastering to be empathetic towards people she may otherwise have trouble getting on with and helping people achieve their dreams. Malika Fettak tells her own story.

‘Back in the early 2000s I was looking for a different way to explore the world. As a single woman wanting to travel alone, it can be scary not knowing who to trust. I was searching for a worthwhile holiday to do something more adventurous. And Biosphere Expeditions sounded perfect: you’re in a group, you’re safe, and you get to do unique things out in nature that you can’t do on your own: not as tourists, but as a team on a mission, working together in conservation. You are also pushed beyond your comfort zone: you don’t know what people you’ll be with, what the work will be like and how hard it will be. On my first expedition, my English was not as good as it is now and I was worried that I would not be able to understand my team mates, the expedition leader or the scientists. Luckily, since team members come from all over the world, the English was very accessible and I had no problems. I instantly fell in love with the simplicity of expedition life. Before the expedition, I remember worrying about how I would cope with not having a hot shower for two weeks! But it didn’t take long for those thoughts to dissipate. You learn not to be afraid and to trust your own abilities and resilience.’

‘It opened my eyes to the possibilities of another way of living. Out in nature, you actually need less to be happy and fulfilled. If you’re warm, dry, fed and have a place to sleep, that’s enough. And it calms your mind. You don’t have to worry about material luxuries, because in nature, on a fundamental level, it’s not important. A lot of people are overwhelmed in their lives. For example, there may be constant streams of information through phones that don’t actually have anything to do with your day-to-day life. Out in nature, especially away from phone coverage, things become simple. Things become easy. It’s not complicated out in the wild.’

‘After my first experience in Oman, I continued following Biosphere Expeditions across the globe all the way to the Altai Mountains in Russia. By this point, I’d been thinking about a career change, but I lacked a sense of direction. Matthias, Biosphere Expeditions founder and an expedition leader himself, and I had become well acquainted on expedition over the years; making me seriously consider a step into the unknown . He just said: ‘Why don’t you work for us?’ This was in 2006, seven years after Biosphere Expeditions was founded. I kind of created my own job by writing an essay about what I could contribute to the organisation. Having a degree in marketing and communications, I could see a lot of opportunities, so I began working full-time in the background.’

‘Soon, however, I craved the expedition life again. Being out in nature, in the middle of nowhere, with nothing else but the expanse of the environment. So I signed myself for expedition leader training. It was a huge challenge at first, especially in a foreign language, but it was also extremely fun. I learned a lot. Once I started leading expeditions, that was it – I knew I’d found my place. Working in the wild, weathering the elements whilst leading people: everything that’s missing in contemporary city life, Biosphere Expeditions brings to you.’

Starting as a citizen scientist, I loved the shift in perspective I got as an expedition leader. Not only was I suddenly responsible for all those people on the expedition; I also found myself in unimaginable situations. I learned how to solve problems, figuring it out as I went along. I felt a sense of accomplishment taking people out there, encouraging people to leave their comfort zones and helping to change people’s self-limiting beliefs – not in theory, but in reality. It really was a life-changing journey.’

In more recent years, I took a step further in my career again and qualified as a systematic coach and trainer in order to encourage and support personal development of people and empower teams outside expedition life – but I still lead expeditions. This has allowed me to look at the work Biosphere Expeditions does from a different perspective yet again. It has become all too clear for me that people are a lot more comfortable speaking about the things they want to achieve in their lives, rather than actually taking action. Biosphere Expeditions requires action. A lot of people talk about nature conservation, but never do anything about it. They think there’s no way I could do that! Then you find out: I actually can!’

‘The great thing about Biosphere Expeditions is that a formative personal experience of simply existing ias part of nature is almost built in. You’re there not to save the world all by yourself – for this is impossible – but learn and make experiences for your own sake and for the world around you. Biosphere Expeditions has made me appreciate the importance of every living thing on the planet. Even the smallest animals have successfully found a niche to live in; they all have an impact on each other, starting with a bug or ant, their presence is vital for, say, the top predator to have a healthy ecosystem to live in; that’s what I’ve understood and learned and experienced. The jaguar depends on the ant.’