Overview

• Field Equipment: Axe, Machete (can be purchased in French Guiana), Shovel, Gardening Gloves, Aspirators, Chisel, Collection trays, Plastic bags, Tubes and vials, Plastic Petri dishes, Forceps and tweezers, Headlamp, Paper notebook and pencils, Hand lens or portable field microscope, Dissection tools, Precision glass syringes (Hamilton or equivalent). (All depends on your interests; organizers will have more than enough equipment for the demonstrations.)
• Personal Equipment: Hammock with mosquito net (necessary; can be purchased in French Guiana), Trekking boots, Wellies, Open footwear, Umbrella or raincoat, Long-sleeved field clothing, Bush hat, Waterproof bag.
• (Macro)photographic Equipment (Optional): Camera, Lenses, Tripod, LED lights, Other photographic accessories.
• Medical Supplies: First-aid kit, Personal medication, Icaridin-based and DEET-based insect repellents, possibly antimalarial prophylaxis (see below).

The list above reflects our recommendations based on previous field experience. Participants are welcome to use alternative equipment according to their preferences. The organisers will bring a limited number of spare items; however, participants should aim to be fully equipped and prepared to share equipment if needed. Equipment options in the field are limited, and therefore participants are encouraged to arrive well prepared. Please contact the organisers with your questions.

Equipment provided by organizers or available on site:

• Fridge/Freezer for samples with modest per-person capacity
• 2 field stereomicroscopes (when not needed for the Course itself)

There is no need for any legal procedures in case you do not plan to export any samples or specimens. However, every course participant who wishes to export samples for their own research needs two legal documents, which must be acquired by each person wishing to bring back samples:

1. Export declaration: An export declaration is a list of specimens you are exporting. It is automatically approved and does not take more than ~30 min to fill in on-line, but it has to be ready in case the customs will ask for it at the departure. We recommend to fill this in 1-2 days prior to departure. See the Official Export Declaration Webpage for details.
2. Declaration regarding access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing arising from their utilization: France is a party in the Nagoya Protocol, which aims to provide a fair and equitable sharing of the benefit of accessing to genetic resources. To conform to the Nagoya Protocol, every participant intending to publish sequence data generated from specimens collected in French Guiana must conform to the APA measure. Every participant should apply to the Official Genetic Resource Sharing APA page.

Note that the procedure can take time. We advise every participant interested to apply several months in advance.

French Guiana is a safe destination for scientific fieldwork. A yellow fever vaccination is a legal requirement, so make sure you get yours in advance and bring confirmation of your vaccination with you. This is as essential as your passport and vaccination certificate will be checked and you will not be allowed to enter French Guiana without it. The risk of malaria is very low (see https://www.guyane.ars.sante.fr/paludisme-1), and antimalarial prophylaxis is generally not considered necessary. None of the organisers have ever used antimalarials in French Guiana and they have never been infected in French Guiana. However, for your own safety, you should consider this option carefully. Whether or not to use antimalarial prophylaxis is your own decision, and the organisers cannot take any responsibility in the event of malaria transmission. Ticks, mosquitoes, horseflies, and other biting arthropods are common, and having both Icaridin-based and DEET-based insect repellents is strongly recommended. Encounters with venomous snakes such as Bothrops atrox are anticipated as is the encounters with potentially poisonous scorpions, spiders, and centipedes. None of these are particularly aggressive and the course organisers did not experience any incident during their fieldworks; however, we recommend caution and avoiding proximity during any encounters. Participants should also be aware of paper wasps and other stinging insects - unfortunately, stings are not uncommon. Participants should consult their physician or a travel medicine specialist for personal recommendations. All participants must arrange their own travel and health insurance covering potential medical treatment and evacuation if required. Camp Maripas is close from Kourou city, where there is 24/7 emergency if needed.