‘A new perspective on sustainability and our relationship with the natural world’: Annabel’s story

In summer 2025, Annabel Shone (Biology, 2023) travelled to Mexico for ecological fieldwork, supported by a St Peter’s travel grant. She shares how this experience broadened her perspective on her subject:

‘Funding from the travel grant allowed me to spend three weeks conducting ecological fieldwork in the Calakmul Biosphere Reserve, Mexico. The region is a mixed UNESCO World Heritage Site, so our sampling took place amongst Mayan ruins deep in the tropical forest. I worked with bird, bat, amphibian and reptile populations, collecting data that will inform future regional biodiversity reports. This work is particularly relevant as the area continues to grow more popular with tourists, and major infrastructure developments pose threats to endemic species.

Though camp life took some getting used to, 3:30 a.m. alarms for bird surveys and bucket showers quickly became the norm, along with endless mosquito bites and a diet of refried beans and instant coffee. Living alongside field biologists allowed me to gain a clearer sense of what a career in research looks like and has led me to approach scientific questions from a different angle to my academic teaching. Learning from local guides assisting the research, both about the forest and its species, but also about how local people use its resources, was invaluable in my understanding of the region and its conservation. The wildlife was, of course, the highlight of the trip - especially spotting a puma!

I am very grateful for the opportunity that the travel fund provided. The skills and knowledge I gained through my work have been hugely invaluable, and seeing a region at the brink of major biological and infrastructural change has given me a new perspective on sustainability and our relationship with the natural world. I hope to continue to build on what I learnt in Calakmul throughout my time at St Peter's and beyond.’