A Conservationist in Spain

Join me, Dr Will Travers, as I move from Bossou in Guinea to a new life in Spain.

ABOUT ME

An expert conservationist’s insight into Spanish wildlife

Read more

Welcome to Green Passage, my journey through the landscapes, ecosystems, and histories that shape Spain. My name is Dr. Will Travers, and for over fifteen years, my world was the dense, humid rainforests of Bossou, Guinea, where I studied wild chimpanzees and their relationship with the changing environment.

I spent my days tracking family groups, watching them crack nuts with ancient techniques passed down through generations, and trying to understand how human encroachment was altering their world. I thought I’d be there forever. 

But forever is a funny thing. Fieldwork wears you down—physically, mentally, sometimes philosophically. The funding dries up, the politics get worse, and one day, you wake up realizing you’ve spent half your life fighting for something that’s slipping through your fingers.

So I left the rainforest behind and landed in Madrid, a place I once thought was the opposite of everything I knew.

Turns out, it has its own wildness—just a different kind. 

See inside Spain’s most remarkable conservation success story:

My latest blog entries:

The Vulture People: Spain’s Strangest Conservationists

There are bird people.And then there are vulture people.A distinction you don’t appreciate until you’ve had coffee with one. I … Read more
Learn More

The Forgotten Bison: Spain’s Unexpected Rewilding Project

When you hear bison, your mind likely drifts to Yellowstone—open plains, cowboy hats, Ken Burns documentaries. But not here. We’re … Read more
Learn More

The Iberian Lynx Conservation. A Success Story to be Proud Of

The first time I heard about the Iberian lynx, it was a just a mere footnote in a research paper. … Read more
Learn More

Spain’s Forgotten Landscapes: A Biologist’s First Impressions 

There’s a moment, somewhere between leaving the highway and stepping onto a dirt track, when you realize just how empty … Read more
Learn More

What Chimpanzees Taught Me About Human Behaviour

I used to think I understood social hierarchies. Then I moved to Madrid.  Fifteen years of tracking primates in the … Read more
Learn More

Madrid’s Urban Wildlife , More Than Just Pigeons and Stray Cats 

The first time I saw a red fox in Madrid, I thought I was imagining things. It was late, past … Read more
Learn More

From Bossou to Madrid: A Primatologist’s Unexpected Migration 

Fifteen years ago, before the sun even thought about showing up, I’d be out there—somewhere in the tangled, humid rainforest … Read more
Learn More