Roger Smith
Meet Vici Hasenau our new Conservation Travel Advocate
Estimated reading time: 6 minutes
Who is a Conservation Travel Advocate? It’s a person who helps people help nature whilst supporting them to keep in touch with each other. It can be anyone who travels and gives back to nature and shares that with the world. In this story you’ll learn how Vici Hasenau supports our guests to become citizen scientists
Echidna Walkabout is well known as a leader in conservation travel advocacy.
Now we’ve deepened our commitment to our guests and to biodiversity by employing Vici Hasenau to share what we’ve all learnt on tour, after the tour.
Vici is our new Conservation Travel Advocate. After each tour she brings together all the work that’s been done on the tour and sends it out to participants…in two installments.
We love to keep in touch with our guests not just before a tour but after it. Read about our empowerment mission in our Conservation Travel Framework.
Here’s how Vici is helping expand our conservation and citizen science programs through guest engagement.
Species Lists: nature advocacy through “atlasing”
During your tour with Echidna Walkabout you and your guide will keep a daily list of wildlife you’ve seen. Most evenings you’ll sit down over dinner or a drink and check off a list in a booklet that we give you at the start of your trip. This is an optional activity but it can be lots of fun over a dry white or a beer. Once you get into the swing of it you’ll love it!
Your guide will also be keeping a track of the list using an online portal which automatically adds up the numbers of reptiles, mammals, birds and insects you’ve seen, plus a few plant species too. There’s also opportunities to log rarely encountered species.
At the end of the tour your guide completes any final information on the online list then gives that information to Vici who sends the final list out to all participants. It’s a great reminder of trip sightings plus guests get access to the same portal their guide used on tour.
But the list doesn’t stop there; if we discover anything unusual during the tour it is logged onto a global nature atlasing forum called iNaturalist for further identification and for use by scientists. In fact your guide often begins this process on tour.
We also log many of the more common species so their occurrence adds to the database; this helps scientists decide if a species is declining or increasing. Read how that happens: Citizen Science Wins with Wattle Goat Moth Find on Tour
Vici generally sends species lists to our guests about 2 weeks after the tour.
Photographs are the fun part of conservation travel advocacy
An important part of advocating for conservation in travel is to use photographs to keep a record of each trip. These photos can be of wildlife, landscapes or people; they all add up to a complete documentation of the tour including weather conditions, climate variations in vegetation, health of the local environment, water levels and much more.
Photos are also a fun way to remember what happened on the tour. Some photos are hilarious, others have a strong message and others are simply magical.
Vici produces two albums:
- One is the guide’s photos and is un-curated which means it’s a broad-brush overview of what was seen on the tour and any other information. This album cannot be modified by guests but it is sent out to everyone for its potential interest. It is also a valuable scientific resource.
- The second album is curated and often abbreviated to include highlights from the trip. The creation of this album requires quite a lot of work. In the true sense of collaboration this album also accepts your photos which not only adds considerable value to its use as a scientific resource but also makes it more interesting for everyone involved. You can also add your comments to this 2nd album.
- Most importantly with the second album, you can ask questions directly in the album about what your photo may have captured. Vici or your guide will then try to figure an answer and get back to you.
A lot of work goes into these albums but Vici tries to get them out within six weeks of your tour.
Plan your tour and get involved with Vici’s tremendous efforts as our Conservation Travel Advocate
Please keep in mind that some species lists and photo albums may be delayed if our guide is working hard on another tour. But don’t worry, you will receive your follow up.
What is atlasing: how does it help nature & science?
Nature atlasing involves creating and using digital and physical collections of data about natural environments to record and share information on species, geology, ecosystems, and other natural values, often for conservation and research purposes. Platforms like Natural Atlas, Atlas of Living Australia, and the Tasmanian Natural Values Atlas provide tools to map, track, and analyse this information, enabling users to explore, learn about, and contribute to a broader understanding of the natural world.
Nature atlasing is a vital part of citizen science, here’s how it works:
- Data collection:
Involves collecting information about the presence and distribution of flora, fauna, geological features, soil types, and ecosystems - Mapping and visualization:
This data is often presented in maps to show the location, extent, and characteristics of natural features and species - Information sharing:
Atlasing provides open access to data for researchers, planners, and the public to use for various purposes - Citizen science:
Many platforms encourage users to submit their observations and discoveries, turning individuals into active participants in documenting natural values - Educational and conservation tools:
Nature atlases serve as valuable educational resources, helping people learn about their local environments, and as tools for conservation planning and biodiversity assessment - Technological integration:
Modern atlases often integrate with mobile apps that use GPS to track locations, record observations, and provide field guides and topographic maps
Help unleash the power of Conservation Travel
Step into the future of travel. Join one of our Conservation Travel tours. An increasing number of these tours include an important Citizen Science project.
➡️Echidna Walkabout is a Founding Member of Australian Wildlife Journeys.
➡️We create, guide and operate tours for Australian Geographic Travel
➡️$10 from every person on tour goes to Koala Clancy Foundation
➡️Donate to Koala Clancy here
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