Name

Operation Wallacea

Legal name

Operation Wallacea Ltd.

Website

https://opwall.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conservation Research Expeditions

NAICS

Environmental Consulting Services (54162), Nature Parks and Other Similar Institutions (71219)

SIC

Services-Commercial Physical & Biological Research (8731)

akta.pro primary industry

Conservation & Citizen-Science Tourism (Research/Volunteer Trips) (THAAAEAI)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife & Nature Interpretation Guides (Birding, Photography, Naturalist) (THAAALAE), Safari & Wildlife Travel Agencies (THAKAFAG)

Keywords

• Biodiversity research expeditions
• Conservation field research
• Ecological fieldwork programs
• Wildlife conservation training
• Academic research travel

Headquarters

HQ city

Lincoln

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Expedition Fees: Participants pay expedition fees to join research programs. The fee includes accommodation, food, field research projects, training courses, diving/snorkeling equipment (to PADI Open Water level), medical and safety support, and operational support during expeditions. Flight costs and certain personal equipment are excluded.
2. T-Shirts and Merchandise: Sale of branded t-shirts, hoodies, prints, and other merchandise through the Opwall shop and Spreadshirt stores. Prices range from £15 for t-shirts to £25 for hoodies.
3. Internal Travel Package Services: Optional internal travel arrangements including airport transfers, additional nights in Split and Zadar, with associated booking fees for school groups.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

Operation Wallacea sells place-based biodiversity and conservation management research expeditions at 19 remote locations worldwide, where paying participants (school students, undergraduates, dissertation students, academics and PhD candidates) work as Research Assistants on active projects alongside university academics. Each expedition fee bundles accommodation, food, field research project participation, training courses, dive training/equipment to PADI Open Water level, and on-the-ground medical, safety and operational support, with optional add-ons such as biodiversity credits, carbon offsetting via the Wallacea Trust and in-house travel arrangements.

Product overview

Operation Wallacea is a conservation research organization offering a platform of biological and conservation management research expeditions across 19 global locations. The core offering consists of volunteer research expeditions (Research Assistant Expeditions), student dissertation/thesis expeditions, school group expeditions, and UK-based field training courses. The portfolio includes PhD studentships, biodiversity credits for offsetting, and carbon footprint offsetting via the Wallacea Trust reforestation initiative. Supporting services include an online Expedition Portal for participant management, a Research Library with 700+ published papers, free educational webinars, and the annual Optoberfest scientific conference. The organization connects academic researchers with student volunteers to conduct biodiversity fieldwork in remote ecosystems worldwide.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wallacea Trust: A sister charity partner organisation mentioned in footer and website navigation. UK Charity 1078362.

Products and services

• Research Assistant Expeditions 2-7 week independent expeditions where undergraduates and volunteers act as Research Assistants on active biodiversity and conservation management projects run by university academics at remote sites including Bay Islands, Croatia, Honduras, Indonesia, Madagascar, Mexico, Peru, Romania, South Africa and the UK/Knepp Estate.
• Dissertation/Thesis Expeditions Structured expeditions enabling undergraduate and Master's students to conduct supervised dissertation or thesis data collection at Opwall field sites, with academic supervisors on hand and Master's research pathways supported.
• School and Sixth Form Expeditions Educational expeditions designed for high school and sixth form students (typically aged 16-18), combining supervised fieldwork (transect surveys, bird ringing, reptile identification, lemur observations, habitat assessments and marine reef studies) with curriculum enrichment and career aspiration outcomes.
• UK Wildlife Training Field Courses (Knepp Estate) Domestic UK field courses at Knepp Estate providing training in wildlife conservation skills such as bird ringing and reptile handling, bookable as pre-expedition preparation or standalone experiences.
• Bespoke Academic Field Trips Custom-designed field trips and visiting academic programs for university staff at multiple expedition locations, used to support taught field modules and doctoral research.
• PhD Studentships Funded and supported PhD studentships and supported PhD opportunities based at Opwall field sites, providing doctoral candidates with supervision, site access and routes to peer-reviewed publication.
• Online Courses and Classroom Resources Paid digital educational offerings including online courses, in-class courses, data sets for school research projects, biodiversity lecture series and short data tasks.
• Biodiversity Credits Conservation credit product that allows expedition participants and other supporters to offset their environmental impact by funding biodiversity conservation work.
• Carbon Footprint Offsetting Tree-planting carbon offset programme delivered with the Wallacea Trust supporting reforestation initiatives, enabling expeditions to be marked as carbon neutral for participants.
• Opwall Branded Merchandise Branded apparel and merchandise (including t-shirts at £15 and hoodies at £25) sold to supporters and alumni through the dedicated Opwall Shop and Spreadshirt stores.
• Optoberfest Scientific Mini-Conference Annual Optoberfest scientific mini-conference (next edition 8-9 October 2026) where research results from global field sites are showcased to scientists, students and supporters; a paid-event offering with in-person and online participation.

Quantifiable outcome

• 700+ peer-reviewed scientific papers published to date from expedition data
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers1 record

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration9 records

Feature2 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Friends of WallaceacoreOthers · 1 January 2020Wholly owned subsidiary of Operation Wallacea that began operation in 2020. Utilizes the same procedures and systems as Operation Wallacea including the CRM database and web portal.
• PADI (Professional Association of Dive Instructors)coreTechnology or IntegrationPADI is the qualifying body for dive professionals utilized by Operation Wallacea on the majority of expeditions. They provide dive training materials, certifications, and standards for marine activities. PADI medical forms are required for all diving participants.
• SSI (Scuba Schools International)coreTechnology or IntegrationSSI staff members are hired by the dive centre partner for the Madagascar expedition, which is the sole exception to using PADI professionals.
• The Wallacea TrustcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSister charity (UK Charity 1078362) working in partnership on reforestation initiatives. The Wallacea Reforestation Initiative is run in partnership with the Trust to support carbon offsetting and tropical reforestation projects.
• ISON TravelminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred travel partner for UK and Irish students, providing competitive quotes for international flights. Contact: 020 3405 7767, [email protected].
• Student UniverseminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorPreferred flight booking partner for students in USA and Canada, offering student discounts on international travel.
• Consilience MediacoreTechnology or IntegrationBuilt and maintains the Operation Wallacea client database, online portal (portal.opwall.com), and online finance system. Responsible for server security against data breach.
• AvivaminorOthersInsurance provider covering all participants for the duration of their expedition. Policy includes unlimited Overseas Medical and Travel Expenses, Personal Property cover, and Cancellation/Curtailment/Rearrangement cover.
• Forrester BoydminorOthersExternal accounting firm with access to financial records and customer information (name and billing address) for invoice creation.
• In-Country PartnerscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerLocal partner organizations based in expedition countries. Roles vary from minimal involvement to full project execution including accommodation, transfers, supplies, and local staff hiring. Contracted as GDPR data processors.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Exodus Travels: UK adventure and wildlife tour operator with conservation/nature itineraries (galapagos, costa rica, polar regions) and a school/young-adult following — broader ecotourism portfolio with overlapping geography and traveller profile.
• G Adventures: Large-scale small-group adventure tour operator with a portfolio of nature-focused and community tourism itineraries — broader tour operator with overlapping nature-and-wildlife itineraries and university/young traveller segment, but not research-led.

Direct peers

• Camps International: Operator of school and gap-year volunteer expeditions with wildlife conservation and community tracks — overlapping school market, expedition pricing model, and safety/ATOL-style compliance profile.
• Global Vision International (GVI): For-profit operator of volunteer and research expeditions focused on wildlife and marine conservation, serving university and gap-year students — directly comparable segment, mission, and delivery model.
• Earthwatch Institute: Nonprofit running paid citizen-science expeditions pairing volunteers with field researchers for biodiversity and climate projects — closely aligned research-expedition model and academic/scientific positioning.
• Coral Cay Conservation: Volunteer marine conservation expeditions, especially reef surveys with accredited dive training (PADI/SSI) — directly comparable dive-certification integration and biodiversity data-collection focus.
• Raleigh International: UK-based charity delivering structured youth volunteer expeditions (including conservation/livelihood programmes) for school leavers and gap-year participants — comparable school/undergraduate audience and expedition-fee model.
• World Challenge: UK organizer of sixth-form and school expedition trips (including conservation/community projects) — directly comparable education-segment, school-group channel, and trip-fee revenue model.
• Frontiers (Frontiers Young Researcher Group / Frontiers Expeditions): Run development-focused youth expeditions with conservation components; analogous gap-year and school audience and field-based delivery in remote destinations.
• Biosphere Expeditions: Wildlife and conservation volunteer expeditions to remote sites, led by peer-reviewed researchers — direct match on citizen-science, field-research, and pay-to-participate structure.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/opwall
• YouTubeyoutube.com/user/Opwall
• Facebookfacebook.com/Opwall
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/operation-wallacea
• Instagraminstagram.com/operation_wallacea

Compliance5 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries1 record

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Operation Wallacea