This week, a Dutch ship sailed off the south coast of England. The aim is to educate and inspire the next generation of naturalists by tracing the journey of the young Charles Darwin that inspired him to develop the theory of evolution almost 200 years ago.

The Dutch ship Oosterschelde was accompanied by applause as she left Plymouth for a two-year mission to work with future scientists. Associated Press. They will study the species Darwin discovered and develop projects to save them.

The boat will operate as a floating laboratory at sea and in ports. Around 200 young naturalists and conservationists from around the world will work under the Darwin200 project.

“It’s about hopes, the future, and changing the world,” said Stuart McPherson, one of the project’s leaders. A group of 18 to 25-year-olds “will not let animals or plants fall from the abyss of extinction,” he added.

In 1831 Darwin embarked on a five-year voyage around South America on the ship HMS Beagle, the scientist also visiting Australia and New Zealand.

The new ship’s first stop will be the Canary Islands, then cross the Atlantic Ocean to reach Brazil. He will sail along the east coast and west coast of South America to the Galapagos Islands, where Darwin made some of his most important discoveries.

Sarah Darwin, a relative of the famous scientist and botanist, said her great-great-grandfather supported the mission, which used her travels to highlight environmental change. He said that Charles Darwin’s greatest legacy was the recognition of man’s place in nature.

The ship will sail to Australia and New Zealand, then South America, then cross the Atlantic on its way back to South Africa before returning to the UK.