An Earthwatch expedition is more than just an exciting travel experience for nature lovers—it’s a direct investment in scientific discovery. By joining an expedition with Earthwatch, you’re essentially doubling your contribution to environmental conservation while making a meaningful, lasting impact on our world.

Your volunteer support helps cover critical research costs—permits, field equipment, lab space, support staff, accommodations, and other expenses that make their research possible. But beyond funding, your hands-on work in the field is invaluable.

Scientists and their field teams can only accomplish so much on their own. With the help of Earthwatch volunteers like you, nearly 100,000 hours of essential scientific research are conducted every year. That work provides the crucial data needed to shape environmental policies, protect critically threatened species and habitats, and advance our understanding of climate change.

By physically assisting scientists with research tasks, your time and effort dramatically increase the amount of data that can be gathered—far more than researchers alone or paid staff could manage. This multiplier effect has helped our researchers score major victories for conservation throughout Earthwatch’s nearly 50-year history. Here are just a few recent examples: