Most people spend their teenage years discovering who they are. For Savannah Lehnert, sixteen was the year she found herself deep in the Amazon rainforest of Madre de Dios, Peru, working as a volunteer alongside scientists on a conservation expedition that would stay with her long after she returned home.
A father-daughter journey begins
When she joined Biosphere Expeditions with her father back in 2011, she became one of the youngest citizen scientists, but she was far from out of place.Â
Citizen scientists in action: Savannah and her father in the Peru Amazon
The beauty of Biosphere Expeditions teams is that they bring together people (or citizen scientists) from all walks of life and every stage of adulthood, united not by age or profession, but by a shared passion to protect wild animals and places.
‘I was very compelled by the adventure of visiting the Amazon and working with conservation biologists and other volunteers to protect endangered species in an incredible landscape.’
Darran Keogh came to Biosphere Expeditions as an expedition leader without a scientific background and left with a drive to pursue conservation through further education — a transformation that reflects the impact these expeditions can have, even for staff members.
Based in Ireland, Darran’s main job is ‘delivering and leading courses in the mountains.’ However, when he came across Biosphere Expeditions and applied for an expedition leader position, he was looking for added value; an opportunity to apply his existing skills in a different context – snow leopard volunteering seemed a good one.
For Savannah Schilling, one of the most unexpected and lasting impacts of her Biosphere Expeditions experience was the people.
In the middle of the Indian Ocean, with limited WiFi and a shared purpose, she found herself part of something rare — a group brought together not just by travel, but by a genuine commitment to understanding and protecting the natural world.
It was an experience that felt both grounding and energising.
She quickly realised she was surrounded by others dedicated to conservation and making the world a better place for all living things.
‘It made me realise how many people care about conservation and want to help in a meaningful way. It was truly inspiring.’ That sense of connection would go on to shape her entire experience. But when Savannah first arrived in the Maldives, she wasn’t sure what she would find.
I grew up surrounded by nature, conservation and expeditions. My father founded Biosphere Expeditions three years before I was born, so from a very young age, I travelled to places that most people only ever see in documentaries. Those experiences shaped how I see the world, how I travel and how I think about conservation.
My first expedition was in 2002, when I was just six months old, to Ukraine – which of course I don’t remember. But the expeditions I do remember had a huge impact on me.
In 2008 and 2010, when I was six and eight years old, I spent my summers in Namibia. I remember the vast landscapes, the people and, of course, the animals.
At just 27 years old, Tess Kneebone has already travelled extensively – from Costa Rica and Mexico to France, Morocco and across the United States. So, when a competition to join a marine conservation expedition in the Maldives with Biosphere Expeditions appeared on her Instagram feed, it was no surprise that she jumped at the opportunity.
What Tess could not have anticipated was just how deeply the experience would affect her: it reshaped her ambitions, strengthened her sense of purpose and introduced her to conservation in its most tangible form.
‘I’ve never felt more like myself than working on coral reef surveys with other ocean lovers,’ she reflects, her enthusiasm tangible.
For Loulou Ojjeh, Biosphere Expeditions played a pivotal role in her journey towards becoming an ecologist when she joined its Maldives expedition in 2025.
Despite having completed only 20 dives and questioning whether she was truly ready, Loulou quickly realised that she was far from being an anomaly. ‘Many participants shared similar doubts’, Loulou recalls finding out.
Shaha Hashim is a pioneer in the conservation movement in the Maldives. Her passion started at a young age when she ‘was lucky enough to be selected for the school snorkelling club where I witnessed the vibrant beauty of the corals before the 1998 bleaching event devastated over 90% of them.’
Many corals have grown back since and Shaha never lost her dedication to them. In 2014 Shaha joined Biosphere Expeditions, an international non-profit citizen science organisation, which supercharged her conservation career.
‘I wanted to have an impact on protecting nature,’ says Angelika Krimmel from Germany, reflecting on what drew her to her first expedition with Biosphere Expeditions.
That first experience was in 2016, studying whales and dolphins in the Azores. It wasn’t long before Angelika found herself coming back again and again – to Slovakia in 2017 to monitor lynx, bear and wolf; to Kyrgyzstan in 2019 and 2024 for snow leopard research; and to Kenya in 2023 for African biodiversity conservation.
Whales, paw prints and camera traps
Each project offered something unforgettable. “After a week with the whales, you think nothing can top the first sight of one. But then a curious sperm whale swam alongside our boat, jumped three times and looked straight into our eyes. That look went directly to my heart.”
Angelika (yellow circle) with her 2016 Azores expedition team
Peter Pilbeam from the UK is a long-time supporter of Biosphere Expeditions. He took part in every single expedition to the Altai mountains that Biosphere Expeditions ran from 2003 to 2012. ‘And then it just snowballed’, he remembers. Here’s his story.
‘Initially I was intrigued by the slogan ‘Where on earth is the Altai?’ and my interest in snow leopards’, Peter recalls ,‘and I liked my first expedition so much that I just kept coming back’.
Peter (yellow circle) and his Altai expedition team in 2011.
Pascal Tchengang, from Paris, France, loves travelling and being in touch with nature. In fact, this is how he discovered Biosphere Expeditions way back in 2002 and then went on an expedition to study big cats in Namibia in 2003, returning there in 2005 as staff. Today Pascal helps out part-time in Biosphere Expeditions’ French office near Paris.
Pascal’s first engagement with Biosphere Expeditions was in 2002, when he was researching options for holidays with a purpose in nature. ‘My favourite thing -then and now – when I travel is being in touch with nature’, Pascal reminisces, ‘there are certain places you can discover and visit on your own or with your family, but there are others where you really need to be accompanied by specialists’. This is how he came across Biosphere Expeditions all those years ago and has ‘never looked back’, he says with a broad smile.
Pascal on expedition in 2005.
‘You see, I love animals and wildlife in general. Back then I had a burning desire to go to Africa and see wildlife up close. Of course, there are national parks that you can visit on your own or with your family by renting a vehicle, but what I wanted was to get as close as possible to the large mammals. So, while searching the web, I discovered Biosphere Expeditions. Browsing through their website, I was fascinated by the programmes offered on each expedition. So I signed up and took part in my first expedition to Namibia in 2003’, Pascal recalls. ‘It was incredible, a real revelation. It was the first time I had ever come into close contact with large mammals. In Namibia, I had the chance to get up close to cheetahs and leopards, because we were accompanied by a scientist who was studying them there. In fact, during that first expedition, I enjoyed both the opportunity to encounter the animals and being part of a group that was genuinely curious and eager to learn’.
On the expedition Pascal met some senior Biosphere Expeditions staff and asked whether he could help out with the office in France. He could – and started assisting with enquiries and attending events, becoming a spokesperson for Biosphere Expeditions.
Two years later, Pascal was back in Namibia as staff, this time with Peggy, ‘the person I share my life with today’, Pascal says with his eyes lighting up, ‘this trip was her first of its kind, a real revelation’.
Peggy & Pascal
‘So, yes, if you are looking for a trip where you won’t encounter trivialities, and especially if you want to make yourself useful, then I really recommend Biosphere Expeditions’ Pascal says, adding with a laugh ‘and I don’t just say this because I am biased, but because I genuinely believe it’. For advice, over 20 years after his first expedition, Pascal is the representative in France, so please feel free to reach out. ‘I will be happy to provide you with as much information as I can’.
