Mesa students interested in an opportunity to travel to remote areas of the world gathered to learn about an educational program focused on environmental conservation.

Operation Wallacea is a series of biological and conservation management programs that operate in isolated areas across the world. The expeditions are designed with specific wildlife conservation purposes, from identifying areas needing protection to evaluating and using conservation management programs.

The organization creates and implements large-scale biodiversity monitoring programs that are open for students to join during the summer. University students can join either as research assistants or as data collectors for an Undergraduate or Masters thesis or independent research project.

Adjunct biology professor and Operations Coordinator Bridget Tiffany introduced students to the program. She has been working with Operation Wallacea since 2003.

“It’s a great opportunity for students,” Professor Tiffany said. “I always see people crying when they leave, because they’ve formed so many friendships and experienced such a different way of life.”

Expeditions for Operation Wallacea are run in 8 countries: Indonesia, Honduras, Egypt, Cuba, South Africa, Mozambique, Peru, and Madagascar. Large teams of university academics, who are specialists in various aspects of biodiversity or social and economic studies, are concentrated at the target study sites. Research assistants and dissertation students joining the surveys have the option to customize their itinerary from a range of training and science options.

Training courses unique to each study environment are required during the first week of each expedition. Students will become familiar with the ecology of their specific research environment and learn necessary survival skills, as well as skills needed for research, including dive training, biodiversity monitoring, language, and DNA extraction.

These surveys have resulted in the discovery of 30 vertebrate species new to science, four “extinct” species being re-discovered and $2 million gained from funding agencies to set up best practice management examples at the study sites.

“Anybody can volunteer,” said Professor Tiffany. “You don’t even have to be a student.”

The Operation Wallacea surveys will take place over summer 2010 and students can choose to go for two, four, six, eight or 10-week expeditions. There are a limited number of slots available for each project, so interested students should act soon. Expenses are as follows: $1800 for two weeks, $3400 for four weeks, $4500 for six weeks, $5300 for eight weeks and $6100 for 10 weeks.

Because college credit can be gained through these expeditions, grants may be available through study abroad programs, so students are urged to visit Counseling and Financial Aid offices to apply for funding. Fundraisers are also encouraged.

Participants in Operation Wallacea should be fit and in generally good health, as many of the projects are physically demanding, particularly the forest, bush and desert expeditions. Fitness will be assessed during training courses and students will be assigned to appropriate projects and camps.

Interested students may contact Professor Tiffany in room K-202. For additional information, visit Operation Wallacea’s website at www.opwall.com.