Tag: marine conservation

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Biosphere Expeditions “Manifesto for a Troubled Planet” demands an end to performative hope amid accelerating planetary upheavals

Media release – 1 September 2026

Forest wildfire at night

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.

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Maldives reefs under threat, Biosphere Expeditions report confirms

Media release – 30 July 2026

A colourful reef
An intact Maldives reef. Stringent coral reef conservation action is needed to protect these.

Innternational wildlife conservation organisation Biosphere Expeditions has published its 13th annual Maldives coral reef conservation report. It details critical marine monitoring conducted in October 2025 across Ari, South Malé and Vaavu atolls by international citizen scientists supervised by professional marine biologists.

While the archipelago escaped a mass coral bleaching event in 2025 following severe thermal stress in 2024, the findings reveal a starkly uneven recovery landscape across the central atolls. 

The coral reef conservation report’s release comes at a crucial moment as escalating ocean temperatures, an approaching El Niño cycle and localised human impacts threaten tropical coral ecosystems worldwide.

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Azores expedition 2026: Wrap-up

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

Mural in Horta harbour to commemorate the expedition
Mural in Horta harbour to commemorate the expedition – a tradition in that harbour

Biosphere Expeditions has completed its 20th year monitoring cetaceans in the Azores, an area supporting over 25 species. Unlike short-term whale watching, scientific research requires decades to reveal meaningful patterns in how whales and dolphins use the ocean. This long-term data bank grows in value as it helps address future conservation challenges.

Recent findings from 170 encounters include matching images of sperm, humpback, and blue whales to records spanning 15 years across Northern Europe. While some species like Risso’s dolphins appeared in lower numbers this year, citizen scientists also documented rarer sightings of sei and Cuvier’s beaked whales.

By conducting fieldwork in March – outside the typical tourism season – the team captures data that would otherwise be missed. Made possible through citizen science for two decades now, this research is vital for the long-term protection of cetaceans, ensuring informed management of their habitats across the Atlantic Ocean.

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Azores expedition 2026: The End

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

Common dolphin jumping
Common dolphin jumping

Suddenly the end of the Azores expedition is upon us. That fact that five weeks seems to have flown by, is a good thing, time flies when you are having fun and we have had a great expedition.

With the international team now spreading their wings to various corners of the globe and some adjusting to last minute re-routes, it is time to return home. However, let me first (briefly) recap the last couple of days, before I wrap the expedition as a whole, as we still had some highs and lows to experience.

Mural in Horta harbour to commemorate the expedition
Mural in Horta harbour to commemorate the expedition – a tradition in that harbour
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Azores expedition 2026: Land & sea

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

Common dolphin in clear waters
Common dolphin

The last few days have been split between survey time on the boat and time on shore. Both dealing with data and having a well-earned break.

Humpback whale encounters were the theme for the weekend, but this doesn’t tell the whole story. Heading north on both Saturday and Sunday, our weekend started with a brief glimpse of a minke whale. There followed the search for two humpback whales which were trailed in 4 m swells, making it more than challenging to get ID photographs.

All the while both bottlenose and common dolphins were trying to distract us. But sperm whales then followed and meant a much ‘calmer’ afternoon.

One person, all bundled up in clothing, looking over the ocean from a boat
On the lookout for cetaceans
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Azores expedition 2026: Going to plan

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

Blue whale fluke
Blue whale fluke

The final ‘leg’ of the 2026 Azores Expedition has begun. We welcomed our third and final group. With greetings, briefings and training sessions efficiently covered, we were all keen to get out to sea.

Four people standing on the box of a boat in the ocean
Group 3 at work
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Azores expedition 2026: Seeing sei

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

Fluke of a humpback whale thrashing ocean water
Humpback tail lob

Having now spent a few days at sea, the whole team is very familiar with the daily routine. Whether team members are on lookout, data collection or the camera, everyone knows their role on the boat. This seems to include starting most days with a humpback ‘hunt’.

Three people looking out over the ocean from a boat
On the lookout for cetaceans
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Azores expedition 2026: Changing fortunes

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

A person sitting on a boat with headphones on, listening for whales
Listening for whales

Our survey days often start quietly, with limited information from our vigias (lookouts). But on Tuesday things changed. Our luck, like the weather, improved.

Four people on the bow of a boat looking for cetaceans
On the lookout for cetaceans
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Azores expedition 2026: Baleen baptism

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

A group of people sitting around a table
Group 2

Welcome to group 2 – our most diverse (in terms of nationalities) this year. This includes our Singaporean quartet and our local student placement from Portugal.

Three people sitting in a boat on the ocean, looking at the water
On the lookout for cetaceans
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Azores expedition 2026: Fluking festival

Update from our marine conservation volunteering holiday in the Azores archipelago, working on whales, dolphins and turtles

A group of people standing on a boat smiling into the camera
Group 1

Successful sightings have continued for our last two days at sea.

Tuesday continued the theme of blue, fin and minke whales. We have now had more minke encounters in the past four days than I have had in eight previous whale and dolphin research expeditions to the Azores. Calmer seas definitely help with sightings! The now obligatory common dolphin encounter rounded off another great day at sea.

For people standing on the bow of a boat looking for whales
On the lookout for cetaceans
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