Join My Expedition to Tanzania!
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Hello everybody! My name is Costanza, I am 23 years old. I am a master student in Evolutionary Biology at the University of Padova, and currently undertaking my thesis internship at the MUSE – The Science Museum of Trento. The main reason for following the “academic biological path” was my extreme curiosity towards everything that is alive, which has characterized myself since I was very young. I’ve always been fascinated by animals, and watched several nature programs in order to understand how they “function”, how they behave, how they interact with their environment.
My greatest interest is herpetology, that is the branch of zoology which deals with the study of Amphibians and Reptiles. I have been fascinated by these animals since I was a child, when the best summer activities were catching the highest number of lizards my hands could keep, or raising tadpoles and young newts for releasing them after having observed their metamorphosis. My dream is, as when I was 10 years old, to become a research herpetologist.
I have also other interests, like trekking and backpacking, but never without my trusty camera. Nature photography is one of the best part of my trips, but this inevitably makes me the slowest person of the hiking team since I like taking pictures of anything, from insects to landscapes!
Because of my love for herps and the desire to challenge myself, I decided to start this adventure in the underexplored forest fragments of Southern Tanzania. This project was developed for my master thesis under the supervision of my tutor Dr. Michele Menegon, a research herpetologist based in Trento at MUSE – The Science Museum of Trento – with more than twenty years of experience in the biological exploration of the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot’s rainforests. I am going to gather new data on occurrence and distribution of amphibian and reptile species living in such forest and grassland fragments, in order to contribute to herpetological knowledge of this well-recognized hotspot. Knowledge is the first step to identify conservation priorities, thus this information will be helpful in a better definition of conservation strategies and future studies in the area.
You can support my fundraising campaign by donating any amount you may be willing to make to help me reach my goal.
If you wish to know more about my project, please read the paragraphs below.
Moreover, if you want to follow my adventure and be updated with preparations of the trip and with news from the forest, please subscribe to my facebook page. I will be updating photos and videos about my activities whenever possible during the expedition!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
What do we know so far?
A conspicuous part of the Eastern-Afromontane Hotspot is represented by the Tanzania’s mountains, which include the Northern Highlands (including Kilimanjaro, Meru, and the Ngorongoro Crater), part of the Eastern Arc (a system of scattered mountain blocks from the Taita Hills of south-eastern Kenya to the Udzungwa Mountains in south-central Tanzania) and the Southern Highlands (including Mount Rungwe and the Livingstone Mountains). Despite a long history of biological investigation across the whole country, there are significant differences in the biological knowledge of the mountain areas of Tanzania. In the past decade some scientists concluded that in the Eastern Arc region the levels of endemism were higher than in the forests south-west of the Makambako Gap, mainly because of the long-term climatic stability resulted from the influence of the Indian Ocean in this mountain group. Therefore most of the field research efforts have been focused on the Eastern Arc region, leading to a substantial increase of faunal and floral known species for some mountain blocks, while other regions remained least known or understudied. This is mainly because the Eastern Arc on the south-west is separated from the Southern Highlands by the non-forested Makambako Gap, a putative biogeographical barrier, historically considered, without any clear evidence, a turn-over region separating the faunas of the two mountain groups.
As a result, the data on forest vertebrate diversity and distribution are, for some areas (e.g. the “Southern Rift” mountains), very limited or even absent, but according to known biogeographic affinities, some areas are thought to be interesting despite the lack of data. In fact, there are many forests of Southern Tanzania (e.g. Southern Highlands’ forests) that are still poorly explored, but are predicted to contain many species not yet known to science on the basis of previous fieldworks, which highlighted an extreme species richness and also demonstrated a high endemism, so this region is nowadays considerate as important for conservation as the Eastern Arc. For example, the Southern Highlands hold more than 90 percent of the population of the most recently discovered and described species of monkey in Africa, the kipunji (Rungwecebus kipungji). This species was discovered in 2003 at Mount Rungwe in the Southern Highlands, and simultaneously in the Udzungwa Mountains, and it is one of the most highly threatened primates in Africa. Other examples of new taxa discovered in this area include the two chameleon species Kinyongia vanheygeni (Necas, 2009) and Kinyongia msuyae (Menegon et al., 2015), and the forest viper Atheris matildae (Menegon et al., 2011), but many novel species are currently being described. These discoveries have shown that inventorying activities and surveys are extremely important even in the well-recognized Eastern-Afromontane Hotspot.
Kinyongia msuyae (Southern Highlands, Tanzania)
Atheris matildae (Southern Highlands, Tanzania)
What will I do?
I will gather data about occurrence and distribution of Amphibians and Reptiles, using a variety of survey methods in order to sample different niches and optimize the number of species collected.
These animals are generally easier to sample compared to other classes of vertebrates like Birds and Mammals: frogs and toads occur in forest habitats, usually near water bodies, while lizards and snakes are more “reserved” and therefore more difficult to spot. After recording site GPS coordinates for each individual (important to draw distribution maps) and gathering the genetic sample with non invasive methods (in order to identify uncertain species or make genetic diversity considerations), the animals will be released in nature without any harms.
When and where will the research be set?
I will leave for Tanzania in early November. During the three months of fieldwork I will be visiting various montane forest and grassland fragments of Southern Tanzania, especially in the regions of Morogoro, Iringa and Mbeya, which are encompassed by the main mountain blocks of Tanzania: the Udzungwa Mountains of the Eastern Arc group and the Livingstone Mountains of the Southern Highlands.
Tanzania has generally a tropical climate, with the hottest period from November to February (25 – 31 °C), but temperatures can vary on the basis of altitude (there are about 20 °C on the highlands during the hot season). In this period of the year the country experiences the most intense part of the wet season, when the heavy rains awaken the forest’s life. In fact, during the rainy season is easier to encounter and collect Amphibians and Reptiles, which are usually more active because of the starting of breeding period.
Why is this project so important?
The main aim is to contribute to the knowledge on the Tanzanian herpetological species richness and their biogeographic affinities.
This will be hopefully fulfilled through the investigation of forests and grasslands which have not been intensively surveyed for their herpetofauna yet, especially those on both sides of the so-called Makambako Gap. I would like to improve the understanding on the effective biogeographical role of this “barrier” on the dispersal and diversity of the herpetofauna living on Southern Highlands and Eastern Arc. The results of this study could serve for a better definition of key areas for conservation purposes and future studies in the area.
During my trip, I will retrace some of the steps of the African expeditions of the British explorer and herpetologist Arthur Loveridge (1891 – 1980), who confirmed the presence of several species in the Tanzanian forests, but many of them haven’t been recorded in these areas since then (1930s). Therefore, new studies surveying the herpetological diversity of this region, already representing a significant part of the total biodiversity, could lead to a consistent increase in the number of known species and endemism richness.
How can you help me?
You can support my project by donating any amount you wish and, if you like, sharing my adventure with your friends, but also you can be part of my expedition following and commenting on my facebook page .
This crowd funding will help me cover the main costs of the expedition, including wildlife research permits (which constitute the most expensive part of my budget – 42%), travelling (flights/buses/taxi – 23%), fieldwork equipment (16%), salaries for assistants (14%), accommodation and food (5%).
Crowd funding is a common practice of funding a project within the world of the citizen science, raising little amounts of money from a large number of people. This is the best way for people, who are usually far from “academic or scientific world” or are simply interested in a particular subject or issue, to get involved at first hand and be an important part of the scientific research.
The public participation in this scientific research could potentially encourage people to approach complex disciplines as herpetology, biogeography and evolutionary biology, as well as issues like the presence, still nowadays, of overlooked areas in a established hotspot or the conservation of rare or threatened species. This could also increase people’s interest towards neglected animals (e.g. snakes and toads), which generally don’t get people’s affection, although they constitute an important portion of the vertebrate biodiversity and often show outstanding colors and features.
Hyperolius pictus (Kitulo Plateau, Tanzania)
My greatest interest is herpetology, that is the branch of zoology which deals with the study of Amphibians and Reptiles. I have been fascinated by these animals since I was a child, when the best summer activities were catching the highest number of lizards my hands could keep, or raising tadpoles and young newts for releasing them after having observed their metamorphosis. My dream is, as when I was 10 years old, to become a research herpetologist.
I have also other interests, like trekking and backpacking, but never without my trusty camera. Nature photography is one of the best part of my trips, but this inevitably makes me the slowest person of the hiking team since I like taking pictures of anything, from insects to landscapes!
Because of my love for herps and the desire to challenge myself, I decided to start this adventure in the underexplored forest fragments of Southern Tanzania. This project was developed for my master thesis under the supervision of my tutor Dr. Michele Menegon, a research herpetologist based in Trento at MUSE – The Science Museum of Trento – with more than twenty years of experience in the biological exploration of the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot’s rainforests. I am going to gather new data on occurrence and distribution of amphibian and reptile species living in such forest and grassland fragments, in order to contribute to herpetological knowledge of this well-recognized hotspot. Knowledge is the first step to identify conservation priorities, thus this information will be helpful in a better definition of conservation strategies and future studies in the area.
You can support my fundraising campaign by donating any amount you may be willing to make to help me reach my goal.
If you wish to know more about my project, please read the paragraphs below.
Moreover, if you want to follow my adventure and be updated with preparations of the trip and with news from the forest, please subscribe to my facebook page. I will be updating photos and videos about my activities whenever possible during the expedition!
THANK YOU FOR YOUR SUPPORT!
What do we know so far?
A conspicuous part of the Eastern-Afromontane Hotspot is represented by the Tanzania’s mountains, which include the Northern Highlands (including Kilimanjaro, Meru, and the Ngorongoro Crater), part of the Eastern Arc (a system of scattered mountain blocks from the Taita Hills of south-eastern Kenya to the Udzungwa Mountains in south-central Tanzania) and the Southern Highlands (including Mount Rungwe and the Livingstone Mountains). Despite a long history of biological investigation across the whole country, there are significant differences in the biological knowledge of the mountain areas of Tanzania. In the past decade some scientists concluded that in the Eastern Arc region the levels of endemism were higher than in the forests south-west of the Makambako Gap, mainly because of the long-term climatic stability resulted from the influence of the Indian Ocean in this mountain group. Therefore most of the field research efforts have been focused on the Eastern Arc region, leading to a substantial increase of faunal and floral known species for some mountain blocks, while other regions remained least known or understudied. This is mainly because the Eastern Arc on the south-west is separated from the Southern Highlands by the non-forested Makambako Gap, a putative biogeographical barrier, historically considered, without any clear evidence, a turn-over region separating the faunas of the two mountain groups.
As a result, the data on forest vertebrate diversity and distribution are, for some areas (e.g. the “Southern Rift” mountains), very limited or even absent, but according to known biogeographic affinities, some areas are thought to be interesting despite the lack of data. In fact, there are many forests of Southern Tanzania (e.g. Southern Highlands’ forests) that are still poorly explored, but are predicted to contain many species not yet known to science on the basis of previous fieldworks, which highlighted an extreme species richness and also demonstrated a high endemism, so this region is nowadays considerate as important for conservation as the Eastern Arc. For example, the Southern Highlands hold more than 90 percent of the population of the most recently discovered and described species of monkey in Africa, the kipunji (Rungwecebus kipungji). This species was discovered in 2003 at Mount Rungwe in the Southern Highlands, and simultaneously in the Udzungwa Mountains, and it is one of the most highly threatened primates in Africa. Other examples of new taxa discovered in this area include the two chameleon species Kinyongia vanheygeni (Necas, 2009) and Kinyongia msuyae (Menegon et al., 2015), and the forest viper Atheris matildae (Menegon et al., 2011), but many novel species are currently being described. These discoveries have shown that inventorying activities and surveys are extremely important even in the well-recognized Eastern-Afromontane Hotspot.
Kinyongia msuyae (Southern Highlands, Tanzania)
Atheris matildae (Southern Highlands, Tanzania)
What will I do?
I will gather data about occurrence and distribution of Amphibians and Reptiles, using a variety of survey methods in order to sample different niches and optimize the number of species collected.
These animals are generally easier to sample compared to other classes of vertebrates like Birds and Mammals: frogs and toads occur in forest habitats, usually near water bodies, while lizards and snakes are more “reserved” and therefore more difficult to spot. After recording site GPS coordinates for each individual (important to draw distribution maps) and gathering the genetic sample with non invasive methods (in order to identify uncertain species or make genetic diversity considerations), the animals will be released in nature without any harms.
When and where will the research be set?
I will leave for Tanzania in early November. During the three months of fieldwork I will be visiting various montane forest and grassland fragments of Southern Tanzania, especially in the regions of Morogoro, Iringa and Mbeya, which are encompassed by the main mountain blocks of Tanzania: the Udzungwa Mountains of the Eastern Arc group and the Livingstone Mountains of the Southern Highlands.
Tanzania has generally a tropical climate, with the hottest period from November to February (25 – 31 °C), but temperatures can vary on the basis of altitude (there are about 20 °C on the highlands during the hot season). In this period of the year the country experiences the most intense part of the wet season, when the heavy rains awaken the forest’s life. In fact, during the rainy season is easier to encounter and collect Amphibians and Reptiles, which are usually more active because of the starting of breeding period.
Why is this project so important?
The main aim is to contribute to the knowledge on the Tanzanian herpetological species richness and their biogeographic affinities.
This will be hopefully fulfilled through the investigation of forests and grasslands which have not been intensively surveyed for their herpetofauna yet, especially those on both sides of the so-called Makambako Gap. I would like to improve the understanding on the effective biogeographical role of this “barrier” on the dispersal and diversity of the herpetofauna living on Southern Highlands and Eastern Arc. The results of this study could serve for a better definition of key areas for conservation purposes and future studies in the area.
During my trip, I will retrace some of the steps of the African expeditions of the British explorer and herpetologist Arthur Loveridge (1891 – 1980), who confirmed the presence of several species in the Tanzanian forests, but many of them haven’t been recorded in these areas since then (1930s). Therefore, new studies surveying the herpetological diversity of this region, already representing a significant part of the total biodiversity, could lead to a consistent increase in the number of known species and endemism richness.
How can you help me?
You can support my project by donating any amount you wish and, if you like, sharing my adventure with your friends, but also you can be part of my expedition following and commenting on my facebook page .
This crowd funding will help me cover the main costs of the expedition, including wildlife research permits (which constitute the most expensive part of my budget – 42%), travelling (flights/buses/taxi – 23%), fieldwork equipment (16%), salaries for assistants (14%), accommodation and food (5%).
Crowd funding is a common practice of funding a project within the world of the citizen science, raising little amounts of money from a large number of people. This is the best way for people, who are usually far from “academic or scientific world” or are simply interested in a particular subject or issue, to get involved at first hand and be an important part of the scientific research.
The public participation in this scientific research could potentially encourage people to approach complex disciplines as herpetology, biogeography and evolutionary biology, as well as issues like the presence, still nowadays, of overlooked areas in a established hotspot or the conservation of rare or threatened species. This could also increase people’s interest towards neglected animals (e.g. snakes and toads), which generally don’t get people’s affection, although they constitute an important portion of the vertebrate biodiversity and often show outstanding colors and features.
Hyperolius pictus (Kitulo Plateau, Tanzania)
Organizer
Costanza Piccoli
Organizer
