A Glimpse into Field Research Life

The time here is going fast. The third and final week on the marine portion of the expedition has come and gone. It was characterised by rough seas and difficult sailing conditions that made survey work particularly tricky. Thankfully, the weather stayed calm when at high tide one day a few of us arranged to borrow some canoes from the local fisherman and have a paddle through the mangroves.

Through the years I have often wondered what field research life would be like. I have always been interested in biology, geography and the study of the physical world. Back in school I had at one point considered a career specific to this. Something along the lines of the character played by Sean Connery in the film Medicine Man (if you don’t know it, seek it out. It is a quality film). To have had a first-hand glimpse into this area of the scientific world has been very enlightening.

Patience and persistence are important traits of the field researcher. Weather conditions, logistical difficulties and the need to work around nature means that there are long periods where no progress is easily made. However, interspersed within these are moments when fantastic sightings and breakthroughs can come about. And when these come, they can be really invigorating. Vivid reminders of what an amazing world we live in, and how much more is still out there, waiting to be discovered and explored.

I have really enjoyed my time working on the marine section of GVI’s Kenya Expedition. Now I move back onto the mainland, to Shimoni, where I will be starting the forest research aspect of my 10 week program.

Marine Survey Leader Day

During the course of the Kenya Expedition I am studying for a BTEC in Biological Survey Techniques. As part of this I need to lead two survey days; one for the marine research and one for the forest research. This week I carried out my survey leader day on marine.

The evening beforehand, I briefed the team on the three main aims of our next day’s surveying. These included conducting a dedicated search for cetaceans in two key locations and investigating a new location for a regular snorkel transect. With a little careful planning as to the necessary equipment, logistics and personnel requirements, the next morning we set off on schedule, bright and early.

The areas I had decided to survey are known to be where the sighting of dolphins is quite rare. So it was not surprising that we didn’t encounter any. If we had wanted an almost guaranteed sighting, we could have gone to a different area, but that wasn’t the point of my survey day. I wanted to look into if they were also active in a different nearby area. This could have supported a future increase in the Marine Protected Area. However, they were not there. Only additional days at sea would provide a better picture as to the situation. As for the new transect location, we did identify one which a few of the team members were quick to remark provided one of the best collections of reef fish they had yet seen. It has subsequently been added to the regular transect list.

All things considered, my survey leader day went smoothly, efficiently and without any problems. Two things have sprung to mind following it. One is that it is worth remembering that the collection of useful, important data can be a very slow process and patience in this regard is always required. The other is that it is good when everything runs according to plan and without any hiccups. If only every day on an expedition was like this. But then having said this, where would be the fun that comes in having to sort out a crisis of some sort? I do enjoy a challenge now and again! Perhaps next time I should overlook some important health and safety concerns. That could provoke one... haha!

That was, of course, only a joke.

A Case for Enlarging the Marine Protected Area?

Following an initial two days of training; learning how the marine research is conducted, what species we need to be able to recognise, and our roles on and off the boat, we were thrown in at the deep end... (sorry, couldn’t resist!). The typical daily routine involves heading out to sea shortly after dawn, undertaking dedicated searches for cetaceans (dolphins), and snorkelling transect surveys until around midday, then returning back to base for data entry and analysis in the afternoon.

Yesterday morning we spotted a group of Indo-Pacific Bottlenose Dolphins in an area where they have very rarely been seen before. It was a significant distance to the north-west of the Kisite-Mpunguti Marine Protected Area (MPA) and could provide important data in support of a case for it to be enlarged.

The current Kisite-Mpunguti MPA comprises an area of 39km² to the south and south-east of GVI’s marine base on Wasini Island. Whilst Bottlenose Dolphins have been seen outside of the MPA to the south-west, to see some to the west of Wasini almost as far as Sii Island is an exciting sighting. Watching them for almost an hour, their foraging and feeding behaviour indicates that this location may be an important area that also needs to become protected.

Despite having been working with GVI for almost 2 years now, this is the first time I have joined a project purely as a volunteer. So being the one to make this important sighting from the GVI research boat, it is extremely satisfying to think that I am making a valuable contribution to the expedition’s objectives to help conserve this key biodiversity hotspot. Next week I will be leading the marine survey team for a day and we will be going back to the area of this sighting to see if we can reinforce our data further.

First Impressions in Kenya

Following an eventful bus journey from Dar es Salaam, during which the main problem was avoiding smashing one’s head on the ceiling when we crashed over the bumps and potholes in the road at the fastest speed possible, I arrived in Mombasa. Staying the night at the GVI orphanage project base, the next morning I joined the rest of the new recruits for the start of the expedition.

When choosing to join the Kenya Expedition as opposed to any of the other ones run by GVI, there wasn’t actually much thought put into this. I have always wanted to go to Kenya, it was the easiest place to get to from South Africa, and I liked the mix of activities. The Kenya Expedition provides opportunities to take part in not only terrestrial and marine research, but also in community-based initiatives. So that was it. Decision made.

I had taken very little time to research and look into exactly what the setup would be like, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. I knew it would be basic, especially on Wasini Island base where there is no electricity or running water. For some reason, the idea of being in a ‘shipwrecked’ situation kept popping into my head. In many respects this isn’t too far from the reality.

A short boat journey in a small canoe transported us across to the island which is where I was to be based for the first three weeks. We form a small community of our own with around 25 volunteers and staff all living together. A central wooden enclosure or ‘banda’ provides the main communal area where we cook, eat, work and relax. A few hammocks here and there accurately depict the tranquil nature of the set-up, the elevated view of the beach and local fishing dhows adding the icing on the cake. It is a beautiful place to be living and would be hard matched. Everyone here is keen and eager to start getting involved in the projects, as am I. Initially, I will be assisting on the marine research and we start tomorrow.

Adjusting My Pace in Zanzibar

I was so busy with tying up all the loose ends in South Africa before I departed, I hadn’t had any time to slow down at all, to think about what lay ahead. All I knew was that when I arrived in Zanzibar that would provide me with a short holiday before the expedition in Kenya.

There is an expression commonly used in Africa. If you haven’t heard it prior to visiting the continent, upon arrival you soon will – ‘T.I.A.’ ...‘This is Africa’. It explains that Africa has its own pace and schedule for how long anything takes to happen. Whether it is waiting for your food to be served in a restaurant, to when you actually expect the local handyman to get around to paying you the visit you arranged six weeks ago. There is no point becoming frustrated, fighting and struggling against it, it is just part of the culture.

“Why is it taking so long? What is the hold up?”

“T.I.A.”, is the answer.

Now anyone who knows me well, knows that I often choose a particularly fast pace to my daily life, such that the front-runners of the caffeine-fuelled commuters in London would often be left behind. When I made the move from the UK to Cape Town, I was told that I would have to get used to a slower pace. Now heading into East Africa, dropping my pace further still has been raised as a potential challenge for me. So relaxing in Zanzibar for five days after having been working flat out, it provided a perfect lead in. And relax is exactly what I did.

Forming part of the Spice Islands of the Indian Ocean, Zanzibar Island is a beautiful little spot off the mainland coast of Tanzania that is a coveted tourist destination. Encircling it there are numerous white sandy beaches with crystal clear waters that could satisfy some of the most discerning ‘paradise island’ enthusiasts. It has a history and culture that has been heavily influenced by African, Arabic and Indian sources to provide it with a feel that is entirely its own. At the heart of it is Stone Town. Here the narrow, medieval style streets provide a maze of colours, shapes and smells that it is easy to get lost in, though you don’t in the least bit mind. When travelling, whenever I spend more than two days in the same place, I usually find a preferred little spot to base myself. In Zanzibar this was on the peaceful rooftop terrace of the hotel overlooking the Anglican Cathedral. When I decided to take a break from exploring, it is here that I passed my time.

Rest, reorganise my thoughts and concentrate my focus is what I did. Adjusting my pace I think has followed in tow. As a result, feeling much more prepared to take on any new challenges that could be thrown my way, travelling on to Kenya feels me with that adventurous anticipation that any traveller will understand. I’m truly excited now and I can’t wait to get started!

Damn. Maybe adjusting my pace still needs some more work...haha!

Bananas and Fireworks

Have you ever seen fireworks from the air? Well, travelling a budget airline when the New Year kicked in we unfortunately weren’t treated to a free glass of champagne as I optimistically hoped for, but seeing fireworks from above was very cool. It looked like a cross between a circuit-board lighting up and an air strike on a battlefield – explosions of light bursting up and out from the ground below!

Strangely somewhat fitting, the two descriptions above could perhaps be taken as metaphors for two key characteristics of so much of Africa; bright lights of electrical energy symbolising the huge potential that it has, playing against a ravaged ‘war zone’ of poverty and corruption that is prevalent in so many areas, holding it back.

Up until now I have almost exclusively been in Cape Town, which whilst it has its own examples of these characteristics (for which the inequality extremes are only I believe matched by Brazil), it is developed and westernized enough to allow one to sometimes forget they exist. Such occasions are now being left behind. Journeying away from the most ‘European’ city in the most developed country on the continent south of the Sahara, I know that life for me is going to get a lot more basic and a lot more ‘real’. ‘Real Africa’ – the one that is typically depicted with the heat, the humidity, the dust and the sweat – I was flying straight for it.

Veering away from the more sober strain of thought above...  Whilst everywhere has troubles of some sort, there are always friendly, happy and smiling people mixed in amongst them. Aside from the fact that obtaining a visa at Zanzibar Town Airport must have taken all of 60 seconds, with a grand total of zero questions, my taxi driver into town could only be described as one of these happy, smiling people. Our pleasant conversation was briefly interrupted along the way as he stopped along the side of the road to buy some bananas. He was quite right. They were very sweet and very delicious, but one was enough for me. Despite his insistence, I couldn’t possibly have accepted taking half of the bunch. What a nice welcome. I have problems recalling the last time a taxi driver offered me a bunch of bananas...

And so this marked the start of my journey into East Africa.

GVI Cape Town Half Marathon

I’ve been working in my Regional Coordinator role for GVI in South Africa for just over 15 months and my time here is now coming to a close.

During this period I have become very attached to the Cape Town Community Projects and the fantastic work that all involved are undertaking. Whilst I wasn’t here from the very beginning, I have seen them develop and grow extensively during my time. What with around 400 volunteers having joined the projects since I arrived, I have had the privilege to meet many generous, kind-hearted and wonderful people. For the vast majority, to have been able to volunteer in South Africa is no mean feat. For many they have had to give up a significant amount of their time and money to be able to travel half way across the world to help children they have no connection with. I have always found the efforts of these volunteers to be very inspiring.

Drawing on this, I could often be heard saying that before I leave South Africa I wanted to do a fundraising event to make my own contribution to all the children. And so last Saturday I did. I ran a half marathon to raise money for the Cape Town Community Projects.

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Now, not being aware of my current level of fitness, how are you the reader going to be able to gauge exactly how difficult a challenge this really was for me? Well to help you with this, I must first point out that I have done little to no running in the last 4 years. Whilst I think I could walk or hike almost indefinitely, running is a different activity. When I first started training for this half marathon, 3km felt like my limit. Let alone 21km!

Conditioning my muscles and joints to handle the impact of running for that distance was crucial. So with only a 3 week period within which to train prior to the race, I had to undertake a fast and intensive training schedule to get myself up to standard. By the end, I had covered 70km in 17 days.

Back in 2007, I completed the London Marathon in a 36 degree heat, not having been able to complete my training, starting from near the back, in 4hrs 15mins. So whilst at first I wasn't too concerned about my time for this half marathon, in the back on my mind I always thought that I could, and should, be able to break that significant 2hrs barrier.

So on the day, running a pretty tough trail run that included a good number of hills, I was more than happy with a time of 1hr 56mins. In fact, that is an understatement - I was very happy with that!

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If you would like to donate towards this fundraising effort, you can do so via the following link:

http://www.justgiving.com/Jim-Bacon-GVI

And to see exactly where this money is going, do please visit the GVI Cape Town Community Blog:

http://gvisouthernafrica.blogspot.com/

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