An expedition to Croatia!

It was amazing to gain first-hand fieldwork experience with Operation Wallacea at the terrestrial site in Krka National Park and the marine site on Silba Island! Conducting biodiversity surveys in Croatia was a great introduction to conservation and ecological field techniques and also provided an insight into new areas such as speleology (cave biology) and diving surveys.

At Krka, we conducted biodiversity surveys for a range of taxa, including herpetofauna (reptiles and amphibians), birds, bats, butterflies and mammals. It was insightful to see the forefront of conservation research, especially the project focusing on cat snakes and how they are monitored in the field. The ornithological surveys/birding was incredible due to the outstanding diversity of birds and also the knowledgeable staff. The entire team of research assistants was so friendly and it was great to meet so many like-minded people. Everyone was in good spirits despite the early starts (to avoid the heat) and the midday lectures were inspiring and engaging. It was cool to get stuck in with the cave biology and surveys, which highlighted the ecological diversity of the region with specialised troglobitic fauna.

Silba was equally brilliant, the opportunity to learn to scuba dive in such a biodiverse location was just incredible. The marine life was fantastic: sponges, hermit crabs, fish, starfish and sea urchins. My favourite sightings were the octopi – they were so intelligent and inquisitive. I also particularly enjoyed the sea cucumber survey, using my new PADI qualification for some real science!  Upon leaving, it was hard to say goodbye to all the friends made along the way – many of whom I still keep in touch with to this day.

What an experience! I can’t thank the staff enough for sharing their knowledge and experience to help train the next generation of biologists and conservationists!

Photos by James Harriman