Located in the southern end of the East African Rift Valley, Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique was once home to large numbers of iconic wildlife. After losing 90% of its large mammal populations during Mozambique’s civil war, Gorongosa is now an emblem of ecological rebirth. A large-scale conservation and restoration initiative has changed the trajectory of this important area. However, many large mammal populations remain vulnerable. As the country’s flagship national park, Gorongosa is a critical area for biodiversity conservation. Scientists are now working to discover which animal species are still in Gorongosa and understand where they are and how their populations are changing.

 

Camera traps are battery-operated cameras that can be strapped to a tree that use motion sensors to snap photos when an animal moves in front of them. They are an important modern tool in wildlife ecology and conservation research and a cost-effective way to remotely monitor animal populations. Camera traps allow for the collection of data on the entire wildlife community, collecting data in the night and day, and over multiple seasons. Over the long term, continuous camera trap monitoring allows us to track changes in the ecosystem as restoration progresses.

 

At Gorongosa, we are using camera traps to address multiple research and conservation objectives.

 

We have collected hundreds of thousands of photos (and counting), and we need your help to identify all the animals in these photos! The identifications that you record will build a data set that scientists can use to better understand which animals exist in Gorongosa, where they are, how they behave, and how the ecosystem is responding to restoration actions. This information helps us monitor the park’s recovery and identify key challenges.