Using Google Earth to Find New Wildlife Habitat
Scientists Now Exploring the Largest Rainforest in Southern Africa
Jul 21, 2009
A team of scientists supported by the Darwin Initiative, a United Kingdom Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) biodiversity project, used Google Earth to try to identify possible areas to concentrate their exploration efforts. They were surprised to find a large green expanse in Mozambique showing on the Google Earth satellite image.
Mount Mabu is Largest Rainforest in Southern Africa
More importantly, the green area picked up by Google Earth turned out to be an unsurveyed rainforest, the largest in Southern Africa. Survey work now being conducted will help to make the case for safeguarding this largely untouched biodiversity hotspot.
The area the scientists were looking at is known locally as Mount Mabu. Initial survey work has already confirmed at least six new wildlife species. While it is likely that there are more than 10 new species, scientists are waiting for further documentation, as new species confirmation can be controversial.
Civil Unrest May Have Helped Mount Mabu’s Unique Wildlife
Local villagers used the region as a refuge during recent civil unrest, yet this is one of the few rainforests on earth that showed no evidence of logging or burning. And access to the area is still difficult, which may help prevent it being exploited while efforts are underway to protect it.
Having been left largely undisturbed, the variety of reptiles and amphibians, including at least one new species of chameleon, has also excited the researchers surveying the area. Botanists, led by Kew Garden staff, are in the process of surveying the plant life of Mount Mabu as well.
The Google Earth Forest Home to 126 Species of Bird, Some Globally Threatened
The Thyolo Alethe (Alethe choloensis), an endangered bird found only in Malawi and Mozambique, has been documented in the Mount Mabu rainforest. This species, with its very limited mountain range, is being considered for uplisting to Critically Endangered.
Mozambique’s only known endemic species, the Near Threatened Namuli Apalis (Apalis lynesi) was also found on Mount Mabu, which has been nicknamed the Google Earth Forest. Previously the Namuli Apalis was only believed to exist on Mount Namuli. In all, over 126 species of bird have been seen on Mount Mabu, seven of them globally threatened.
Mount Mabu Being Considered for Protected Status
Meetings were held in June in Maputo to discuss the management of Mount Mabu. The Google Earth Fores is already considered an Important Bird Area by Birdlife International. The government of Mozambique, the World Bank, Birdlife International and Kew Gardens are looking at ways of helping the growing population of the country while ensuring that Mount Mabu rainforest conservation is achieved.
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