Ben Owens – Volunteer researcher

Having nothing planned for the summer of 2015 other than a summer job, when the opportunity to get involved with Indigo expeditions out in Guatemala arose I quickly dived right in.

I stayed out in Las Guacamayas for 6 weeks being primarily involved in the work that Indigo expeditions is carrying out to investigate what effects an oil palm plantation is having on two aquatic species of reptile, the Morelet’s crocodile (Crocodylus moreletii) and the Central American river turtle (Dermatemys mawii). 

The expedition allowed me to gain a huge amount of experience in the field such as; methods of collecting data, designing field techniques to collect data, handling a large amount of species, processing data and to just be able to appreciate what an amazing place it was.

The expedition is something that I will never forget and it’s only a matter of time until I’m back out in the field with you guys!

I highly recommend anybody who wants to gain experience out in the field to get out there with Indigo expeditions!

Ben Owens – May 2015

Photo: Ben identifying Coniophanes bipunctatus