"Gorongosa, I will say it now, is ecologically the most diverse park in the world" - E.O. Wilson
This is an incredibly exciting time for science in Gorongosa! Some of the top scientists in the world are working here, studying everything from lions and elephants to katydids and termite mounds! One of these world-famous scientists is Professor E.O. Wilson, one of the world's foremost voices on conservation and biology today. He is dedicating much of his current work on the Gorongosa Restoration Project including an upcoming book, biological surveys in Gorongosa, and chapters in his Life on Earth iBooks textbook. We are naming our new research laboratory after Professor Wilson in honor of his participation in our scientific research.
E. O. Wilson's Life on Earth is a new digital biology textbook for high school students that features Gorongosa National Park in several chapters as a model ecosystem and the ideal background for lessons in ecology and evolution.
The results of the work of our scientists will not only inform future conservation decisions in Gorongosa but will also make a huge contribute to our knowledge and understanding of species biodiversity and how all the parts of an ecosystem fit together. The research being done here will offer new clues about how to restore and save the wild places and wild animals of the world.
Video by Federico Pardo / The Field Museum. Read more about Gorongosa's Biodiversity Surveys.
Even if you can't be here in person, you can still participate in the conservation research being done in the Park by joining our online citizen scientist community at WildCam Gorongosa. Here, you can help identify animals in photos taken by the motion-activated trail cameras. The data generated is then returned to scientists in Gorongosa National Park (GNP) to help with their research. With the high volume of photos, citizen scientists are an essential component of the WildCam project. Participants don’t need any special training; the website is clearly designed, and it’s easy and fascinating to contribute to important research.
Gorongosa is truly at the cutting edge of scientific research and we invite you to visit, join our scientists in the field, and learn about their thrilling, ground-breaking work.
Our approach at the Department of Scientific Services has three parts:
Analysis & Management – The wealth of information that is collected by our researchers is stored in databases so that future researchers can build upon data collected in the past. We are building the new 'EO Wilson Laboratory' in the park to give researchers the space and tools they need to analyze and safely store their field data.