DARWIN200
December 2022
Argentina, Patagonia
What is Darwin200?
It is a global conservation project that has been 10 years in the making consisting of a global voyage which follows the same Route as Charles Darwin once did two centuries ago onboard the HMS Beagle. The journey consist of 32 Voyage Legs which make landfall at 50 key conservation locations. Throughout the Voyage there will be 50 groups of ~4 Darwin leaders from different corners of the globe who will embark on a conservation initiative following experts in a particular field related to either endemic plants or animals in the area.
Check out the Darwin200 YouTube Channel
Read more about the Darwin Leaders
What does Darwin200 aim to do?
→ Empower the Planet’s Top 200 Young Conservationists to influence decision makers & change the world tomorrow.
→ Inspire global audiences through online educational youtube videos (‘The world’s most exciting classroom’) helping people to better understand the importance of nature & conservation efforts
→ Solve real conservation issues using citizen science research projects and engage audiences globally
What Research is done onboard?
Throughout the Voyage there will be 50 groups of ~4 Darwin leaders from different corners of the globe who will embark on a conservation initiative following experts in a particular field related to either endemic plants or animals in the area.
Additionally, the Darwin200 crew is carrying out several long-term research projects monitoring ‘the pulse of the planet’, these are as follows:
Temperature Data - Recording air & sea temperature data uploaded by satellite for analysis
Wildlife Surveys - Systematically recording seabirds, cetaceans (Whales, Dolphins & Porpoises), Pinipeds (Seals & Sea Lions) and other megafauna (basking sharks, Sunfish, Rays, etc.) to understand the movement of endangered species accross the Ocean.
Microplastics - Sampling water and filtering out debris to determine different concentrations of micropollutants, particularly near key ports.
Ballooning Spiders - Based on Darwin’s observations of spiders ending up onboard miles away from land
Wildlife Transects - Measuring biodiversity in primary, secondary & severely degraded rainforests to track the diversity of key organisms & quantify biodiversity in reforested habitats to measure their success.
Coral Transects - Investigating the health of coral reefs in tropical waters to determine extent of coral bleaching, eutrophication, sedimentation, invasive species, diseases and physical damage.
Pollution Solutions - Investigating pollution-related issues at each location & comparing the existing practical applications of technology and new ideas, concepts and prototypes to tackle these issues. As well as measuring the impacts on ecosystems and how these recover.
Miller-Urey - Exploring the Evolutionary Origins of Life on Earth.
ABOUT THE VESSEL
The Oosterchelde which crew members are onboard, was built in 1917 in the Netherlands and can hold up to 24 crew members. It has successfully completed 2 global voyages one in 1996-98 & in 2012-14.
Click the button to check out the Darwin200 website and see a 3D Virtual Tour of onboard the ship!
Check out the route we will be following...
