Gorongosa 2024-FULL-FINAL - Flipbook - Page 21
P IOTR NA SK REC KI
HOME SWEET HOME This Mozambican girdled lizard (Smaug mossambicus) is endemic to central Mozambique.
Most of the known populations of this species are in Gorongosa.
In 2019, a massive cyclone led to unusually extensive flooding in
Gorongosa, which knocked out termites in many places in the park. After
three years, they haven’t been able to recolonize their territory, which has
completely changed the dynamics of the woodland savanna where they
act as critically important ecosystem engineers. The project’s data will be
able to show the long-term impact of cyclones on the ecosystem and species, and, more broadly, demonstrate long-term effects of climate change.
When people talk about the untapped potential of the natural world,
Stalmans says, they often use the example of undiscovered pharmaceuticals that could be found in the amazing diversity of plants and animals.
But there’s more to nature than chemical compounds. “The potential of
biomimicry, for example, is enormous,” Stalmans says. “Nature has evolved
form and function that best addresses aspects of energy conservation,
protection from the elements, and survival in adverse conditions. We can
learn so much from the diversity of life in coping with those challenges.”
The scope of the Gorongosa Map of Life is immense. Scientists
would love to trace the connection among soil fauna, canopy fauna, river
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