All posts by Guest author

We regularly invite guest authors, including expedition volunteers, independent researchers, medical elective students and former staff to contribute to the Beyond Conservation blog.

Belioness: empowering women and helping the reef, one lionfish at a time

Mindy Cruz had to stop going to school when she was 12, making it difficult for her to find fulfilling work, but now she is the Chairwoman of Belioness – a group of Belizean women who make jewellery from the...

/ Oct 3, 2018
Spider tortoise (Pyxis arachnoides) | Photo: Joe Sharman

Spider tortoise spotting: monitoring one of Madagascar’s endemic species

Madagascar volunteer Ieva Kazakeviciute recounts her experience monitoring the critically endangered spider tortoise.

/ Jul 26, 2018

Contributing to conservation in Timor-Leste: a day-in-the-life of one volunteer

Thinking of volunteering in Timor-Leste, but don't know what to expect? Recent volunteer Martin Cloix dives into the details of a day on Ataúro Island.

/ May 11, 2018

The power of education

Rosemary Hartley didn’t expect her Blue Ventures expedition to have such a focus on education, but found it to be one of the most rewarding aspects of her Madagascar experience.

/ Apr 19, 2018

A Medical Elective in Madagascar

Hina Morjaria, a medical student at the University of Exeter, spent her elective learning about community health in remote Madagascar as a Blue Ventures volunteer.

/ Feb 28, 2018

Plastic in the oceans: a volunteer’s perspective

Timor-Leste volunteer Rebecca Loy reflects on what individuals can do about this global problem.

/ Jan 3, 2018
Sea cucumber pens, new structure | Photo: Timothy Klückow

An aquaculture adventure: visiting Tampolove’s sea cucumber farms

A group of Blue Ventures volunteers recently visited the village of Tampolove in southwest Madagascar to learn about the sustainable aquaculture initiatives there.

/ Nov 16, 2017
World Mangrove Day 2017

Replanting mangrove forest in the Bay of Assassins

Volunteer Amanda Millin recounts her experience of Madagascar’s annual mangrove festival.

/ Sep 28, 2017
Blue Ventures volunteers and staff on Nosy Vé prior to the opening

A unique opportunity to experience community-based fisheries management

Madagascar volunteer Jessie Skedd shares her insight after witnessing the opening of octopus fishing grounds following a period of temporary closure.

/ Sep 15, 2017

Having a whale of a time in Timor-Leste

Volunteer Harrison Root describes his two favourite mornings from his marine conservation expedition on Ataúro Island.

/ Aug 31, 2017

Helping Babies Breathe: one year on

Volunteer medic Emily Clark returns to Velondriake to help improve the training and coverage of neonatal resuscitation in public health centres.

/ Aug 3, 2017

A morning of sand, salt and science

Blue Ventures volunteer, Kaesha Freyaldenhoven, provides a descriptive account of an average morning at Bacalar Chico Dive Camp in Belize.

/ Jun 28, 2017
Mackenzie homestay

A warm welcome on Ataúro

Volunteer Mackenzie Burke came to Ataúro Island for the diving and the marine science, but was blown away by the welcome she received from her host community.

/ Jun 21, 2017

A transformational experience

Belize volunteer Jane Stephens describes her expedition experience and how she overcame her scuba diving nerves at Bacalar Chico Dive Camp.

/ May 24, 2017

Diving into Timor-Leste

Timor-Leste volunteer Fiona Westheim describes a coral identification dive from her marine conservation expedition.

/ May 17, 2017