About the event

It's Youth Week with the Wildlife Trust for Beds, Cambs and Northants! If you're aged 12-25, join us on a special behind the scenes tour at the University Museum of Zoology in Cambridge to explore the museum galleries and insect store. You will get the chance to see specimens that are not normally on display to the public and specimens selected by the Wildlife Trust BCN’s Young People’s Forum.

We'll be guided by Matt Hayes, third year PhD student in the Department of Zoology in the Insect Ecology Group. Matt's research investigates the ecology, behaviour and habitat requirements of invertebrates in the UK so that appropriate management can be implemented to maintain biodiversity on fragmented reserves. In recent years he has been particularly interested in the impacts of climate change and how management could help provide refuges to protect species from extreme weather events. He also studies historical museum specimens, investigating how losses from the past can help guide conservation of the future. His fieldwork is partnered with us at the Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire. This collaboration allows Matthew to study species on Wildlife Trust nature reserves and for his research to directly feed into real world management.

This is an activity for young people aged 12 to 25. This session is designed for participants to attend independently. We try to be as inclusive as possible, but this session may not suit every young person, and unfortunately, we cannot provide 1:1 support.

We're delighted to offer this event free of charge, as part of the Peatland Progress project. Our thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.