One of Aqua-Firma's expert trip leaders, Mike Dilger, had the honour of interviewing HRH the Prince of Wales, at his Highgrove Estate, during a competition designed to encourage the replanting of hedgerows around UK. The interview was aired yesterday on the BBC One Show, for which Mike is the programme's host for wildlife and conservation issues.

Prince Charles is an avid conservationist and held the competition for teams recreating hedgerow habitat for wildlife and insects. More than half of Britain's hedgerows have been lost since the Second World War, with many of those remaining in a poor state of repair.

Explained His Royal Highness: "..{hedgerows} provide essential biodiversity corridors for all different insects and other creatures that live in them."

"They also hold the soil together in many ways, prevent erosion, flooding and they link up woods, and copses, and I think it's so important to replant and try to restore the landscape."

Mike has a particular interest in biodiversity corridors, having spent his early days as a trained Ecologist, helping Aqua-Firma partner charity, Rainforest Concern, to develop the Choco-Andean Rainforest Corridor in Ecuador. Mike spent several months, deep in the cloud forests which became the first to become fully protected in this area.

It is to these forests that Mike will be leading a Choco-Andean Cloud Forest trip for Aqua-Firma this April. The trip was first due to run in 2020; and then again in 2021; but like so many travel plans, COVID-19 got in the way. The trip will at last go ahead in April 2022 and will be followed by a Galapagos Wildlife Yacht Safari which will also be hosted by Mike. For details:

     Choco-Andean Cloud Forest with BBC Presenter Mike Dilger (19 - 23 April, 2022)

     Galapagos Wildlife Yacht Safari with BBC Presenter Mike Dilger (23 - 30 April, 2022)