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Gorongosa National Park and the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory located on its grounds are the featured cover story of National Geographic’s April 2015 issue of Explorer magazine. The cover photograph is by Piotr Naskrecki, the Associate Director of the E.O. Wilson Biodivers

Charting the Map of Gorongosa’s Life By Piotr Naskrecki, Ph.D., Associate Director, E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory Gorongosa National Park The walk from my cabin to the restaurant where I was meeting a few friends for dinner should have taken about 45 seconds, a minute tops. Yet,

Murky Depths and Mysterious Ecosystems By Joshua Daskin Pans (small seasonal ponds) are mysterious habitats. Little is known about their ecology and their occupants are usually well hidden below the murky depths. That’s about to change. In this episode of “Gorongosa Field Notes,

Gorongosa Field Notes: Capturing Photographs of Bats in Flight By Jen Guyton “Come on, little dude. Fly for me.” I gently prodded the outside of the fabric box that held the dark brown fuzzy lump. It was an Angolan free-tailed bat, Mops condylura, and it wasn’t cooperating. I was work

The Hippos of Lake Urema By Jen Guyton I scanned the shadows in the gray pre-dawn light, my senses on high alert as I listened for the crackling of twigs beneath a heavy hoof or the throaty sawing huff of a leopard on a sunrise prowl. After a few minutes, feeling sure the coast was cl

Going Back in Time Four Decades Baseline observations help scientists measure the health of an ecosystem. A lot has changed since the floodplain had its last review, so it is time for a check up. In this episode of “Gorongosa Field Notes,” ecologists Tyler Coverdale and Ty

Huffington Post January 21, 2015 By Rob Pringle Assistant Professor of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University As we have all become acutely aware over the past few years, the United States government loves to collect data. Lots of data. In the present, that can seem

Young Women Take on Lion Conservation in Mozambique By Paola Bouley, Projecto Leões da Gorongosa The late Nobel Peace Prize winner and environmental activist, Wangari Maathai, once said “It’s the little things citizens do. That’s what will make the difference. My little th

Satellites, Spies, and Savanna Science By Josh Daskin Doing ecology in new and exciting places sometimes means that perfect historical data aren’t readily available for comparison with the present, and more creative efforts might be in order. As part of my PhD dissertation with the Pr

Mozambique, Africa – In 2005 a tourist arrived for his first ever visit to Gorongosa. The Rangers at the entry gate suggested that he turn around because there would be nothing to see. Stubbornly, he persisted. He spent six hours driving around Gorongosa and saw, precisely, 1 baboon,