Mount Gorongosa,
Gorongosa National Park
790-1800m
Located at the southern tip of Africa's Great Rift Valley, Gorongosa National Park is home to an astounding diversity of animals and plants. Once known as "the place where Noah left is ark", wildlife populations were decimated by nearly two decades of civil war. Conservation efforts to restore the park are currently underway, with the support and cooperation of many organizations, most notably that of the Carr Foundation/Gorongosa Restoration Project. In 2011, the Field Museum of Natural History was invited to conduct biodiversity surveys on Mount Gorongosa - a recent addition to the park, and a crucial source of water for the surrounding lowlands. Our surveys of bird and mammal diversity complemented E. O. Wilson's insect bioblitz. and shed light on the current condition of Mount Gorongosa's ecosystems. For a short time we were joined by National Geographic photographer Joel Sartore, who documented Wilson's bioblitz and photographed animals from our survey. To learn more about the biodiversity and restoration of Gorongosa National Park, follow the links below.
“The rivers are born in the Mountain. They are born small and grow larger downstream. I have never been to where rivers like Mucoza, Zingazinga, Nhauenje are born, or even the Nhandar. We see them here, but never go where they are born. The Mountain was made by Mulungu, by God. All of us, even those who can walk only with the help of a stick, or have to be carried, found the Mountain here. It was made before our ancestors were born, when all the land here was created.”
- the women of Nhauenje
Africa's Lost Eden
Federico shooting at base camp
Documentary filmmaker Federico Pardo joined us in 2011 expedition to document our research on Mount Gorongosa. His film, "Discovering Mount Gorongosa" was the recipient of the 2012 AAAS Scientist Award at the 5th annual Imagine Science Film Festival.
Visit the following link to view the entire documentary
Discovering Mount Gorongosa: Biodiversity Exploration on Mozambique's Sky Island
Discovering Mount Gorongosa: Biodiversity Exploration on Mozambique's Sky Island