In Darwin's wake: Two-year global conservation voyage sparks hope
After a two-year around-the-world ocean voyage inspired by Charles Darwin, scientists and crew sailed home on a historic vessel into Rotterdam on July 31, bearing a warning about climate change -- but also a message of hope.
The majestic three-masted Oosterschelde, the last remaining vessel from a fleet of Dutch schooners that criss-crossed the globe in the early 20th century, arrived to a welcome befitting a voyage of more than 40,000 nautical miles (74,000 kilometers).
Ceremonially escorted by more than a dozen vessels ranging from tall ships to steamships, all blaring horns, the Oosterschelde received a "water cannon salute" from fire service boats, as hundreds waved and cheered from the banks.
Like Darwin in 1831, the Oosterschelde departed the British port of Plymouth in August 2023 to embark on a voyage of discovery that took in the major stops explored during the British naturalist's world-changing mission aboard the HMS Beagle.
From the Falkland Islands to the southern tips of Africa, South America and Australia, the trip closely shadowed Darwin's voyage that inspired his groundbreaking theory of natural selection described in "On the Origin of Species".
Aboard the Oosterschelde at various points of the voyage were some of the world's best young conservationists, 100 scientists aged 18-25, selected to study a species also observed by Darwin, himself aged 22 at the time of his trip.
Giant tortoises, Chilean dolphins, and howler monkeys were just some of the weird and wonderful creatures the young "Darwin Leaders" investigated, tracking changes since their appearance in "Origin of Species" two centuries ago.
With "online classrooms" onboard and slick social media output, the mission also hoped to inspire a new generation around the message: "Conservation isn't about what we've lost, it's about protecting what we still have."
'Barely anything left'
One of the Darwin Leaders, 23-year-old Lotta Baten, spent a week on the ship and conducted a study into the impact of tourism on forests in Tenerife, Spain.
She said only roughly four percent of the forest that Darwin would have seen from the Beagle is still alive today, with much torn down to support the tourism industry.
"There's barely anything left, mainly the strips around the coast," the Dutch-German scientist told AFP.
She said it was "quite something" to follow in the footsteps of Darwin, but noted that the botanist's legacy is divided, as a European in colonial times.
"He basically explored and discovered things that maybe had already been explored and discovered by people at the places themselves. And then he claimed he discovered them," said Baten.
Science co-ordinator Rolf Schreuder admitted that "it's not a rosy picture", with habitat loss and climate change all transforming the environment beyond what Darwin would have recognized.
"You see the natural world degrading in many places," the 55-year-old told AFP.
But Schreuder, like many on board, found the mission inspiring rather than depressing.
He ran more than 100 local projects during the trip with people seeking to preserve their landscapes.
"We met so many great people that are actually on the ground working on the survival of those species," he said.
He found himself inspired too by the young scientists, "full of ideas, full of commitment and determination to really make a difference."
Crew member Daan van Roosmalen was a boy of 17 when he set sail on the Oosterschelde. He returned to his native Netherlands having just turned 19.
"I've just been to so many places. To the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia. We went so far away and to then sail back up this river and see the skyline of Rotterdam again is just super special," he told AFP.
He said he hoped the round-the-world voyage completed by scientists and crew his age would send a message to his generation.
"I think it's very important that we keep inspiring young people to look after our world, because we are going to be the ones taking over," he said. "So to see all these young conservationists putting so much effort in Mother Earth... I think that should inspire more people to also take care of our planet."
And what of Darwin, the inspiration behind the mission?
"I would say he would have been enthused by his fellow young people taking care of this natural world, which he described so nicely," said Schreuder. "I think he would hop on this boat again and do another tour."
© 2025 AFP
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Japan Today
a day ago
- Japan Today
In Darwin's wake: Two-year global conservation voyage sparks hope
By Richard CARTER After a two-year around-the-world ocean voyage inspired by Charles Darwin, scientists and crew sailed home on a historic vessel into Rotterdam on July 31, bearing a warning about climate change -- but also a message of hope. The majestic three-masted Oosterschelde, the last remaining vessel from a fleet of Dutch schooners that criss-crossed the globe in the early 20th century, arrived to a welcome befitting a voyage of more than 40,000 nautical miles (74,000 kilometers). Ceremonially escorted by more than a dozen vessels ranging from tall ships to steamships, all blaring horns, the Oosterschelde received a "water cannon salute" from fire service boats, as hundreds waved and cheered from the banks. Like Darwin in 1831, the Oosterschelde departed the British port of Plymouth in August 2023 to embark on a voyage of discovery that took in the major stops explored during the British naturalist's world-changing mission aboard the HMS Beagle. From the Falkland Islands to the southern tips of Africa, South America and Australia, the trip closely shadowed Darwin's voyage that inspired his groundbreaking theory of natural selection described in "On the Origin of Species". Aboard the Oosterschelde at various points of the voyage were some of the world's best young conservationists, 100 scientists aged 18-25, selected to study a species also observed by Darwin, himself aged 22 at the time of his trip. Giant tortoises, Chilean dolphins, and howler monkeys were just some of the weird and wonderful creatures the young "Darwin Leaders" investigated, tracking changes since their appearance in "Origin of Species" two centuries ago. With "online classrooms" onboard and slick social media output, the mission also hoped to inspire a new generation around the message: "Conservation isn't about what we've lost, it's about protecting what we still have." 'Barely anything left' One of the Darwin Leaders, 23-year-old Lotta Baten, spent a week on the ship and conducted a study into the impact of tourism on forests in Tenerife, Spain. She said only roughly four percent of the forest that Darwin would have seen from the Beagle is still alive today, with much torn down to support the tourism industry. "There's barely anything left, mainly the strips around the coast," the Dutch-German scientist told AFP. She said it was "quite something" to follow in the footsteps of Darwin, but noted that the botanist's legacy is divided, as a European in colonial times. "He basically explored and discovered things that maybe had already been explored and discovered by people at the places themselves. And then he claimed he discovered them," said Baten. Science co-ordinator Rolf Schreuder admitted that "it's not a rosy picture", with habitat loss and climate change all transforming the environment beyond what Darwin would have recognized. "You see the natural world degrading in many places," the 55-year-old told AFP. But Schreuder, like many on board, found the mission inspiring rather than depressing. He ran more than 100 local projects during the trip with people seeking to preserve their landscapes. "We met so many great people that are actually on the ground working on the survival of those species," he said. He found himself inspired too by the young scientists, "full of ideas, full of commitment and determination to really make a difference." Crew member Daan van Roosmalen was a boy of 17 when he set sail on the Oosterschelde. He returned to his native Netherlands having just turned 19. "I've just been to so many places. To the Galapagos Islands, French Polynesia. We went so far away and to then sail back up this river and see the skyline of Rotterdam again is just super special," he told AFP. He said he hoped the round-the-world voyage completed by scientists and crew his age would send a message to his generation. "I think it's very important that we keep inspiring young people to look after our world, because we are going to be the ones taking over," he said. "So to see all these young conservationists putting so much effort in Mother Earth... I think that should inspire more people to also take care of our planet." And what of Darwin, the inspiration behind the mission? "I would say he would have been enthused by his fellow young people taking care of this natural world, which he described so nicely," said Schreuder. "I think he would hop on this boat again and do another tour." © 2025 AFP
Japan Today
3 days ago
- Japan Today
Landslide-prone Nepal tests AI-powered warning system
Nepal is especially vulnerable due to unstable geology, shifting rainfall patterns and poorly planned development By Anup OJHA Every morning, Nepali primary school teacher Bina Tamang steps outside her home and checks the rain gauge, part of an early warning system in one of the world's most landslide-prone regions. Tamang contributes to an AI-powered early warning system that uses rainfall and ground movement data, local observations and satellite imagery to predict landslides up to weeks in advance, according to its developers at the University of Melbourne. From her home in Kimtang village in the hills of northwest Nepal, 29-year-old Tamang sends photos of the water level to experts in the capital Kathmandu, a five-hour drive to the south. "Our village is located in difficult terrain, and landslides are frequent here, like many villages in Nepal," Tamang told AFP. Every year during the monsoon season, floods and landslides wreak havoc across South Asia, killing hundreds of people. Nepal is especially vulnerable due to unstable geology, shifting rainfall patterns and poorly planned development. As a mountainous country, it is already "highly prone" to landslides, said Rajendra Sharma, an early warning expert at the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Authority. "And climate change is fuelling them further. Shifting rainfall patterns, rain instead of snowfall in high altitudes and even increase in wildfires are triggering soil erosion," Sharma told AFP. Landslides killed more than 300 people last year and were responsible for 70 percent of monsoon-linked deaths, government data shows. Tamang knows the risks first hand. When she was just five years old, her family and dozens of others relocated after soil erosion threatened their village homes. They moved about a kilometer uphill, but a strong 2015 earthquake left the area even more unstable, prompting many families to flee again. "The villagers here have lived in fear," Tamang said. "But I am hopeful that this new early warning system will help save lives." The landslide forecasting platform was developed by Australian professor Antoinette Tordesillas with partners in Nepal, Britain and Italy. Its name, SAFE-RISCCS, is an acronym of a complex title -- Spatiotemporal Analytics, Forecasting and Estimation of Risks from Climate Change Systems. "This is a low-cost but high-impact solution, one that's both scientifically informed and locally owned," Tordesillas told AFP. Professor Basanta Adhikari from Nepal's Tribhuvan University, who is involved in the project, said that similar systems were already in use in several other countries, including the United States and China. "We are monitoring landslide-prone areas using the same principles that have been applied abroad, adapted to Nepal's terrain," he told AFP. "If the system performs well during this monsoon season, we can be confident that it will work in Nepal as well, despite the country's complex Himalayan terrain." In Nepal, it is being piloted in two high-risk areas: Kimtang in Nuwakot district and Jyotinagar in Dhading district. Tamang's data is handled by technical advisers like Sanjaya Devkota, who compares it against a threshold that might indicate a landslide. "We are still in a preliminary stage, but once we have a long dataset, the AI component will automatically generate a graphical view and alert us based on the rainfall forecast," Devkota said. "Then we report to the community, that's our plan." The experts have been collecting data for two months, but will need a data set spanning a year or two for proper forecasting, he added. Eventually, the system will deliver a continuously updated landslide risk map, helping decision makers and residents take preventive actions and make evacuation plans. The system "need not be difficult or resource-intensive, especially when it builds on the community's deep local knowledge and active involvement", Tordesillas said. Asia suffered more climate and weather-related hazards than any other region in 2023, according to UN data, with floods and storms the most deadly and costly. And while two-thirds of the region have early warning systems for disasters in place, many other vulnerable countries have little coverage. In the last decade, Nepal has made progress on flood preparedness, installing 200 sirens along major rivers and actively involving communities in warning efforts. The system has helped reduce flooding deaths, said Binod Parajuli, a flood expert with the government's hydrology department. "However, we have not been able to do the same for landslides because predicting them is much more complicated," he said. "Such technologies are absolutely necessary if Nepal wants to reduce its monsoon toll." © 2025 AFP
Nikkei Asia
4 days ago
- Nikkei Asia
Fear of Beijing harassment skews Chinese studies in UK, report says
China's Confucius Institutes, which are hosted by more than 20 British universities, will come under greater scrutiny in the U.K. under a new law meant to protect academic freedom. (Nikkei montage/Source photos by AP) CLEMENT NGU August 10, 2025 12:00 JST LONDON -- Fear of retaliation from Beijing is pressuring academics and students in the U.K. to self-censor, a new report says, leading to "systematic distortion" of China studies at British universities.
