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Sweden is as beautiful as ever, so is our expedition base and the surrounding forest. Note that it snowed today.
Snow in May
The bears have not fared too well over the past 12 months. The government has slashed the number of bears it wants alive in Sweden from 2800 to 1400. This has meant that over the past year lots of bears have been killed in the study site, many of them with collars. At the same time the SBBRP has been starved of funds. How all this impacts what we do on the expedition this year, Andrea will explain when you get here. Suffice it to say that your contribution will be as important as ever, if not more.
On the bright side, we’ll be getting everything ready for you over the next few days. The weather forecast says the weather should improve and get warmer by the time you arrive, but come prepared for fours seasons anyway.
So safe travels and I’ll leave you with some impressions from today…
It’s time for our 2025 edition of our Sweden bear expedition, working in collaboration with Björn & Vildmark (bear & wilderness). I am Matthias Hammer and I will be your expedition leader this year.
Expedition base
This is our fifth citizen science research expedition in Dalarna province, Sweden, gathering field data on brown bears (Ursus arctos), contributing to the conservation of this iconic Scandinavian mammal. The data collected is used by the trans-national Scandinavian Brown Bear Research Project (SBBRP). Expedition scientist Dr Andrea Friebe has worked in the SBBRP since 1998 and wrote her master thesis and dissertation about brown bear hibernation and ecology in Sweden.
Dr. Andrea Friebe
The main focus of the Biosphere Expeditions brown bear research expeditions is locating and surveying winter dens used by bears that have previously been fitted with tracking devices. Once the bears have left in spring, each winter den is then carefully measured by the citizen scientists and a wide range of data are collected relating to the type of den, the surrounding habitat and any evidence of cubs and/or bear scats at the den site. The data gathered by the expeditions are used by the SBBRP as part of their long-term research programme following the lives of specific bears from birth to death, to gain insights into bear diet, weight development, patterns of movement, colonisation of new areas, choice of den, social behaviour, mortality and reproduction. Inter-species interaction with moose and domestic livestock have also been investigated, as well as the sensitivity of bears to human disturbance and human-bear conflict. The purpose of this all this is to provide managers in Norway and Sweden with solid, fact-based knowledge to meet present and future challenges by managing the population of brown bears, which is both an important hunted species and a source of conflict, and whose management has been changing rapidly in recent years.
Investigating a den
So, here we are. I hope you have read the latest expedition reports, your preparations are going well and you are all excited. I will be a few days ahead of you and my next diary entry will be from Sweden with updates from the ground.
Becoming a marine conservation scientist is hard. For women in traditional societies, it’s almost impossible. Yet once she began diving, Jenan Al Asfoor was determined to break free from the confines of gender and her corporate job alike. It wasn’t easy, but now Jenan runs her own marine conservation consultancy, training the next generation to protect the coral reefs of her native Oman. Looking back now, Jenan credits Biosphere Expeditions as the turning point that transformed her passion into a lifelong purpose.
From a young age, Jenan was not deterred from defying social norms for women. She excelled in school, went to university and then took a corporate job in marketing at the Environment Society of Oman, an NGO in her native country. Diving was her hobby. ‘I was just doing it [diving] for fun, until I got the chance of a placement on a Biosphere Expeditions diving project in my country.’
Jenan had had other placement opportunities, ‘but the Biosphere Expeditions one stuck out. I was so happy to be on expedition with them. It truly changed my whole life, what I’m passionate about, and what I’m capable of doing. After my placement in Oman, went to the Maldives to expand my marine knowledge. To find a network of people, from all around the world, from very different fields, but always sharing the passion for doing something for the environment – it makes you change how you see people.’ She became more enthralled with the underwater world and the running of expeditions.
Part of the expedition to the Maldives includes getting certified by Reef Check (a reef conservation NGO that partners with Biosphere Expeditions), meaning citizen scientist divers are then qualified to conduct underwater surveys anywhere in the world. Soon, Jenan found herself re-evaluating her career and her way of living. Working alongside Biosphere Expeditions’ founder and executive Dr. Matthias Hammer and team scientist Dr. Jean-Luc Solandt changed how she saw diving too.. ‘These two opened my eyes that there was more to diving than to have fun. They then helped me to get Reef Check Oman off the ground, I started a science diploma and then went on to start a consultancy in marine conservation.’
Jenan Al Asfoor on the Musandam Peninsula diving expedition, Oman
In 2017 Biosphere Expeditions’ involvement around the Musandam Peninsula of Oman concluded with the declaration of two protected areas in the region. Jenan was the perfect steward to protect these achievements. She quit her corporate job and devoted herself full-time to diving and reef conservation, launching community-based reef conservation efforts, becoming Oman’s first Omani Reef Check Trainer, and to top it all off, starting Reef Check Oman, an offshoot of the NGO that originally qualified here as a survey diver, as well as her own consultancy. All this was not easy either. ‘My friends and family were surprised,’ she recalls. ‘Diving as a woman in Oman is unusual – it’s not seen as a field for females. People don’t see diving as something with a career related to it. People think it’s not a job, that there’s nothing there to learn, so quitting my job was really challenging, as it was not acceptable to my family. Finding encouragement was hard.’
Jenan about her achievements, hopes and aspirations in reef conservation
‘Without the encouragement of the people I met on the expeditions, I wouldn’t have made it,’ says Jenan. ‘When you don’t get support in your regular life, you need it elsewhere – that’s why Biosphere Expeditions had such a big impact.’
Proving almost everyone wrong, she is now an experienced diver and trains others – including delegates from the Omani government, who are learning how to protect the country’s precious corals. ‘I want to share all the beautiful, life-changing experiences I had being part of Biosphere Expeditions. I want to demonstrate the impact of knowledge sharing and community engagement.’ Working with Biosphere Expeditions meant Jenan learned ‘to face challenges on a daily basis. You don’t need to be a scientist to make a difference; even as citizens there’s so much we can do.’
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.’
Malika Fettak (yellow circle) with her expedition team in Oman
‘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.’
Leading in the Altai Mountains
‘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.’
Malika Fettak in between countries as an expedition leader
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.’
Expedition leader Malika Fettak
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.’
Eve Hills is a PhD student at the University of Brighton currently working on leopard prey and habitat preferences in the Meru Conservation Area, Kenya. Big cats have always fascinated Eve – ever since coming on expedition with Biosphere Expeditions. So, what was so significant about this first experience?
‘I went to Africa for the first time in as a young child and instantly fell in love with the continent and wanted to come back,’ Eve Hills recounts. ‘I had a passion for big cats from a young age and did everything in my power to include them in any school projects.’ Five years later, she came across Biosphere Expeditions, ‘via one of the first expeditions to Poland to research wolves. In those days, Matthias (Dr. Matthias Hammer, Biosphere Expeditions’ founder and executive director) ran most of the show, so I was able to talk to him about my dreams of wanting to do something with big cats. In the end, I was sick and could not make the wolf project. Then, in 2002, a cheetah project came up in Namibia and I was really excited. I saved all my money and wanted to do the whole thing, which lasted two months.’
Eve Hills (yellow circle) with her expedition team in Namibia in 2002
Eve immediately fell in love with the entire experience. Staying for two months gave her a unique perspective. ‘I think this allowed me to immerse myself completely. It was an incredible place and the landscapes were so different. I just loved sharing my environment with big cats, knowing they were there. I don’t really need to see them. One of the most special things for me was when we tracked leopard prints and it was just incredible following in the animal’s footsteps. I remember collecting all the sand from one of its paw prints. It was really amazing. I loved feeling part of something. ’
After Eve came home, as with so many people, life got busy and she was ‘side-tracked by a job that had nothing to do with conservation.’ She also had to contend with a partner who thought she ‘should get a real job.’ However, she never forgot about those beautiful moments on expedition and did whatever she could at university to include big cats in her projects. She continued pursuing this passion into her master’s degree when she, ‘ linked up with some cheetah conservation organisations based in Kenya and intended to do a cat project.’
So now Eve is a PhD student studying leopards. As for the future of her relationship with Biosphere Expeditions, she says, ‘I’m hoping to get involved with another project and I’m keeping my eye out for any leopard-related projects.
Eve Hills (and others) talking about her expedition experience in Namibia
Whale watching can be undertaken in a matter of hours, but monitoring cetaceans to better understand their spatial and temporal use of different areas of our oceans – takes years. Biosphere Expeditions has just completed their latest expedition in the Azores, and is rapidly approaching two decades of monitoring, in an area of the Atlantic Ocean supporting over 25 different cetacean species.
Cetacean research questions cannot often be addressed (with any certainty) in a month or a single year. Data collection may take a decade or longer, to reveal meaningful patterns and this is the case with the cetaceans of the Azores. The true value may not always be in the ‘here and now’, but be realized as future questions or challenges arise. Such a data bank will only accrue value over time.
Some feedback is more immediate. Images of sperm whales and blue whales taken this year, have already be matched to other locations in the Azores, and northern Europe, across more than two decades. Some blue whales have not only been matched but never been recoded so early in previous years. yut many more whales have still yet to be matched, revealing range of their movements and importance of different parts of the oceans. Some individuals have only been recorded for the first time, again contributing to our understanding of population dynamics.
This year’s project still has a lot of data to process, from over 125 cetacean encounters over 15 days at sea, sighting over 1500 individuals. But some species are absent from this year’s research findings (e.g Sei whales) and dolphins have been found in lower numbers. On the upside, a few rarer records were noted such as orca, minke and Sowerby’s beaked whale.
With the expedition fieldwork continuing to commence in March, “it has also been great to extend the data collection beyond the normal tourism season”, says expedition scientist Lisa Steiner, “and collect data on a range of species, across a broader time span. The value of this work is huge as we wouldn’t have documented the range of species, including several sei, humpback, fin and blue whales, since there are fewer tour boats out at this time of year”.
Understanding spatial and temporal patterns of so many cetaceans is key to their long-term protection and conservation. And undertaking field research when others are not often at sea reveals new information such as species being absent or present in lower or higher numbers compared to other years.
“The ability to collect such data is greatly enhanced by the annual contribution of the Biosphere Expeditions citizen scientists”, says expedition leader Craig Turner, “and underlines the value of long-term data sets in illustrating the importance of the Azores for many cetacean species”.
This data-collection approach is being applied to other species of whale, along with dolphin species, such as bottlenose and Risso’s. The scale of the data collection both in terms of time and space serves to demonstrate the importance of the Azores for several cetacean species. And highlights the importance of appropriate conservation management, to ensure these species continue to thrive not just in Azorean waters, but elsewhere in the wider Atlantic Ocean.
Citizen scientist feedback:
The expeditions was very well organised. Craig & Lisa work very well together and you could tell they enjoy what they do. They cope very well when plans change, flights are delayed, weather changes etc . Amazing Nicola B, Switzerland.
Our first day on the boat (also my birthday) I will never forget. I wished for a blue whale and I think we had six sightings that day (plus seven orcas!). Seeing the blow, seeing it just at the water surface and the beautiful turquoise colour before it dives. It was an experience way beyond what I expected. Accommodation was excellent. We were so lucky to have a view over the seas and Pico beyond. Great positive atmosphere of all the group members Anne Clarke, UK.
The group dynamic was excellent and the leader really helped to create this. The expectations were handled well and we knew flexibility (weather etc) needed. So no frustrations or disappointments. Meals etc were excellent, science presentations very informative. Peter S., Canada.
We found everything to be very well organised. A big compliment to our expedition leader Craig – what a wonderful guy – he kept everything going and the spirits up ; and to Lisa, our great scientist from whom we learned a lot. Loved the lectures from the Portuguese scientists who came to explain about their work on cetaceans. Loved to listen to Lisa who shared her unbelievable knowledge with us. Gitta V., Netherlands.
This was a wonderful experience for me. Lisa & Craig are top notch organisers and kept things flowing. Briefing every day after outings and evenings were perfect. Selections of vegetarian options was excellent for me Mita P., USA.
That’s all folks. It is time for final diary entry. The end of the expedition is suddenly upon us, and five weeks seems to have flown by, with the international team now gone. Before I wrap the expedition, let me first recap the last few days:
Our final day at sea presented yet more great sightings. Most notably was another fin whale and not one, but two more humpbacks – one far easier to photograph than the other, but still a favourite amongst many. Add to this, more sperm whales, common and bottlenose dolphins and it was another great data haul. Sea conditions and our continued search for more sightings put us close to Capelinhos – the most recent volcano to erupt in the Azores – at the west end of Faial. This presented an opportunity for another first in 2025 – a circumnavigation of Faial – as the seas were easier to navigate to the north. Our 2025 data collection ended with our final loggerhead turtle.
This ocean-based tour of the island gave the group a better feel of where to visit on their day off – with many heading back to Capelinhos. But on our last day we were thwarted at the final hurdle, in our effort to go to sea, by bad weather, but this presented another opportunity to sort more data. Not how we would wish to end, but you can’t argue with the Atlantic Ocean – just accept that plans may often change. So that concluded our data collection and sorting, on another really successful expedition in the Azores.
This year we’ve again documented an impressive array of records that without Biosphere Expeditions, would not have been collected. Here are just some of our highlights. We have
deployed three teams into the field, comprising 8 different nations, spanning multiple decades
completed in excess of 84 hours of surveys, covering over 1400 km of the ocean
collected data on at least eleven different cetacean species (six whale and five dolphin species), one turtle species and numerous birds
encountered more than 125 cetaceans,
confirmed some positive whale IDs, and several re-sights, but also have numerous new flukes – i.e. individuals never recorded before
Data in isolation can be a bit ‘dry’, and lack context, as field research rarely gives us instant results (though fluke matches are coming through) or fast answers to our bigger questions. But we’ve collected another great baseline of data and the full results will become clearer in the expedition report. The power of this simple field data builds over time, as has been illustrated by our excellent invited speakers (thank you, to all).
Whilst we comb the see and learn about the cetaceans and contribute to the ongoing data collection on this project (19 years and counting), it is not always all about the project. What also makes the project so special is the people. So let me initially offer some thanks. First off, to our three groups, who stepped up to the daily challenge of data collection to achieve our goals of better understanding the spatial and temporal distributions of the cetaceans and turtles of the Azores. You’ve not only all contributed to advancing this knowledge and making this expedition a success – you have also been great fun to work with and not given the expedition leader too much stress!
We also thank the wider Biosphere Expeditions team, as this project can’t happen without the unseen preparation, often months before we even set foot on a boat. I also extend thanks to all in Horta who have supported us, particularly Norberto Divers, the lookouts and our various caterers – whose food has more than sustained us! We also extend our thanks to our hosts (Silvia & Mario) and the project base, of course to Lenita (our housekeeper) who ensured we were more than comfortable. I (like many) can also not forget our skippers (‘Pico’ Pedro & Pedro 2), who not only took us to sea, but ensured the team knew the sea state, wind direction, cetacean locations and always got us back to port safely – thank you gentlemen. Finally, our collective thanks go to Lisa. A constant force for knowledge and our leader in all things scientific. It is always a privilege to share in your world of cetacean fieldwork.
We have also had the great privilege of briefly experiencing life in Azores. As I mentioned in my very first diary entry (if you remember!), who doesn’t want to live on a volcano, in the middle of an ocean, searching for a diverse array of charismatic cetaceans. The allure of this fascinating archipelago is strong, and I don’t doubt that some of us will return, in the not too distant future – there are many reasons to come back.
For me personally it has been great to have the opportunity to return to the Azores, work on the project, in this wonderful place and meet old and make new friends. It has been a blast, but all good things come to end and now I too must make my way home. Time to head to my place in Scotland, catch up with my own family and see what projects we take on next.
The early part of the week brought a change in the winds, and a change of direction for our surveys. We initially headed north to follow up a report of a humpback whale in the area. This was our first time north of Faial this year, and heading into a north-westerly wind and building waves made the search harder than we wanted, but the humpback was finally located – a favourite species for many.
Staying with it brought more challenges, and having briefly lost it, the team spotted what we initially thought were the characteristic white pectoral fins in the waves, but this turned out to be a random sighting of Risso’s dolphins – doing their best to distract us. They achieved this briefly before the humpback was re-found and ID photos secured.
Subsequent surveys and sightings brought more dolphins in the form of common and bottlenose, the latter being less frequently sighted, but have now been located by all three expedition groups. So more dorsal fin ID images to process and catalogue.
We also spent a day south of Pico (very familiar territory) tracking sperm whales. It is still surprisingly easy to lose these magnificent beasts, as they can dive for 45 minutes. This gave us an excuse to deploy our hydrophone – a sophisticated underwater microphone – so we can listen in on the underwater world, and hopefully locate sperm whales and other species. It wasn’t as effective as we hoped, but our lookouts were able to locate more whales – with ‘eyes all around’.
Using the hydrophone kit was timely, as we welcomed Sarah Kather for dinner. She studied sperm whale vocalisations for her Master’s Thesis (at the University of the Azores) and gave a fascinating insight into the importance of sound-based communication (and noise pollution) for various cetacean species.
Amongst all this, Lisa also managed to match some of the sperm whale flukes documented from our earlier sightings, showing three individual females had been repeatedly recorded up to ten times over a sixteen year period. This further highlights the importance of the Azores to this species.
Fingers crossed for our final days on the 2025 expedition.
We have commenced the third and final part of the 2025 Azores expedition. It is great to have another diverse and enthusiastic group. With the welcomes, greetings, briefings and training sessions out of the way, we were all keen to get out to sea. Again, the weather made us wait a day, but used the day with more training and science presentations.
Our first day at sea was a triumph. Starting almost where we had left off – with a blue whale. That means blue whales have been seen on all but one day at sea this year – which is incredible. Next were a large group of sperm whales, who again were not the most cooperative, with very few fluking – so limited ID data, but a great job by the team for keeping up with all the sperm whale sightings. Add in some common dolphins, a loggerhead turtle, and this was a great start.
But our day was not done, it ended almost as it began, with another blue whale sighting, but this turned out to be a pair of blue whales – a first for this year. I am beginning to think we should rebrand to the Azure Expedition!
Our second sea day was less frenetic, but had a common theme – blue whales. We also recorded a large male sperm whale and common dolphins as we travelled along the south of Pico, using the volcano as a shield from the prevailing winds and thus take advantage of the calm-ish waters.
It has been a good start to the last leg, and here’s hoping our luck continues.
In the words of Crowded House, it feels like we’ve been ‘walking round the room singing stormy weather’, as the seas have put on quite a show. This has also curtailed our boat time but not put a full stop to data collection or image processing – there are always things to do on the expedition – whatever the weather!
Indeed the worst of the sea conditions provided an opportunity for a day off and time spent exploring Faial, and enjoying the visual spectacle of the mid-Atlantic. It also gave an opportunity to process more data, and the chance for another talk; this time from Cláudia Oliveira from the Azores Whale Lab on the role of photo-identification and bioacoustics for sperm whale studies. Again, illustrating the power of data collection such as ours.
Over the past few days, we have travelled almost 400 km over four days at sea. The group has been able to add vital cetacean data to this year’s haul, add a new bird species, and the numbers of encounters and individuals have also increased. A great effort by another great group.
So, as we bid group 2 farewell, we now welcome group 3; and we hope you bring the luck with the whales and the ‘weather with you’.
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