Staffan was invited to join ”Science et Images” expedition by the Fondation Iris to the rainforests and coral reefs of Raja Ampat, New Guinea, one of the World’s most biodiverse places. Aboard the ship Cahaya Mandiri for 4 weeks with the selected team of super-artists and super-scientists described by Staffan as amazingly capable and knowledgeable ”I feel humbled by their inspiring company”, says Staffan ”Thanks Fondation Iris for arranging the Papua Expedition and for inviting me for it! Thanks all Dream Team members and staff for all help carrying gear and bags through the bush for me!”
The team worked hard snorkeling daily and exploring the rainforest, the humidity being over 100%, air temperatures around 32 C and water temperatures about 31 C. ”A bit warmer than the -40 C in Lapland, where I was this time last year…” Staffan recalls.
He describes the diversity of talents in their team ”Stephanie Ledoux, incredibly talented painter and artist. Christophe Gruault, wonderful drone pilot and filmmaker. Christophe Thébaud, professor in Evolutionary Biology and one of the sharpest field ornithologists I have ever met. Magnus Lundgren, one of the World’s very best underwater photographers. Emilia d’Avack, marine biologist, coral conservationist and fearless diver. And the organizers of it all: Jean-Marie Hullot, IT genius and Françoise Brenckmann, Botany expert. And of course Jonathan Hullot, the main provider of the latest in French music and a lot of youthful energy to the team mix.”
You will soon be able to view Staffans images, like this Bird of Paradise, in a gallery here but in the meantime please feel free to have a look at the videos and images produced during the Papua Expedition by Fondation Iris, at https://vimeo.com/fondationiris. Plenty of turquoise waters, steaming rainforests and lush mangroves, plus a sprinkling of whale sharks, reef sharks, jellyfish lakes and manta rays…