British geographer Will Millard will next week (April 9) be heading to the jungles of Sierra Leone and Liberia to make a first descent of the remote Moro and Mano rivers.
 
As the recipient of theJourney of a LifetimeAward, awarded by theRoyal Geographical Society (with IBG) in partnership with BBC Radio 4,Will is hoping to raise awareness of this critically endangered forest environment and its remarkable people, with a BBC Radio 4 broadcast of his journey scheduled for this autumn.

The journey will see Will pack-raft 100 miles down the remote Mano and Moro River, through the heart of the highly anticipated ‘Peace Park', meeting the local people, ecologists and unique wildlife on an extraordinary journey at the frontline of African conservation.

The visit coincides with the construction of one of the largest and most ecologically important national parks in West Africa, as Sierra Leone and Liberia seek to join Gola National Park with Lofa and Foya. The move comes after the countries celebrate ten years of peace. Funded by the European Union, the project will form an unbroken 300,000 hectare national park in what could be an iconic symbol of peace and unity, as well as a vital lifeline to the unique wildlife of West Africa.

The Society's Journey of a Lifetime Award in partnership with BBC Radio 4, running since 2001, offers people the chance to make a ‘journey of a lifetime' and to tell the world about it in a memorable piece of radio documentary-making. The award recipient receives training in radio broadcasting from the BBC and records their experiences for a BBC Radio 4 documentary.

Commenting ahead of his journey, Will said: "I will be travelling deep into the fragile Upper Guinean belt ecosystem, home to some of the most endangered species on the planet including pygmy hippos, chimps and forest elephants, and under major threat from logging and mining.

"It will be fascinating to live in the forest meeting the policy makers, ecologists and local people responsible for establishing conservation initiatives in the region including: ex-hunters who have adapted their animal calling skills to directly benefit wildlife research and joining the patrols of bush rangers who guard the international borders from illegal loggers and diamond miners."

Will added: "More than 70% of the Upper Guinean forest belt has disappeared in the last 50 years. In a region synonymous with a brutal conflict fuelled by blood diamonds it may seem an unlikely stronghold for such a rich habitat. Yet the ten-year war may have offered something of a salvation for the forest and its animals, discouraging mass scale commercial exploitation in the region for decades. I am really looking forward to meeting the local people that have lived and endured in this remarkable region."

Will's journey can followed on theDownstream Chimpcommunity on Facebook, on Twitter@MillardWillor his blog athttp://downstreamchimp.wordpress.com/

For further details about the Journey of a Lifetime Award visitwww.rgs.org/journeyofalifetime

ENDS

Notes to editors:

1. For press queries please contact Communications and Media Officer, Alex Jackson,press@rgs.orgor 020 7591-3019
    
   

2. The Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is the learned society and professional body for geography. Formed in 1830, the Royal Charter of 1859 is for 'the advancement of geographical science'. Today, it delivers this objective by developing, supporting and promoting geographical research through scientific expeditions and fieldwork, education, and public engagement, while also providing geographical input to policy. A key aim is to foster an understanding and informed enjoyment of our world. The Society holds the world's largest private geographical collection and provides public access to it. For more information please visit:www.rgs.org
    

3. An important way in which the Society develops new knowledge and advances geographical science is by providing funding for geographical research and scientific expeditions. Grants support work in the UK and across all seven continents. Over 90 grants and in excess of £180,000 are awarded annually to experienced researchers working on cutting-edge projects and to teams of young, passionate geographers who are looking to get out into the field for the first time. Research has been conducted in more than 120 countries, from Namibia to Brazil to Greenland. For more information please visit:  www.rgs.org/grants
    

4. Will Millard is a freelance journalist and expedition leader based in the UK. He has been leading expeditions in West Papua since 2007 and has written and submitted images on Papua's tribes and wildlife for BBC Wildlife, Geographical, Outdoor Fitness, Wanderlust and broadcast for the BBC's From Our Own Correspondent.Will is a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (RGS) and the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. He works for Indus Films in Cardiff, who make the Bruce Parry series Tribe, Amazon and Arctic for the BBC.http://www.willmillard.com/
    

5. The Journey of a Lifetime Award, established in 2001, is a joint collaboration between the Royal Geographical Society (with IBG) and the BBC generously supported through a private donation. The award aims to support informed travel and learning, through experience rather than scientific research, and to discover new radio talent. The outcome of each of the journey's culminate in a BBC Radio 4 travel documentarywww.rgs.org/journeyofalifetime