Paradise found
PORTFOLIO
Chimanimani National Park, spanning the mountainous border between Mozambique and Zimbabwe, is a wildlife hotspot waiting to be explored
Blooming lovely
Photojournalist Jen Guyton accompanied scientists on two wide-ranging biodiversity surveys in Chimanimani National Park in 2018 and 2019. She shot this Manica sugarbush on a plateau, a two-hour solo hike from the international group’s remote, high-altitude camp.
Flying high
Camera drones, like the one Jen used to capture this shot of the Chimanimani Mountains, were also used by some of the scientists to scout out hard-to-reach territory before embarking on long hikes: rocky areas that might be home to reptiles, for example.
Team players
The surveys, organised by the EO Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory at Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique, were carried out by a 13-strong team of scientists that included mammalogists, ornithologists, entomologists, botanists and herpetologists (reptile and amphibian specialists). “They go out into the field and try to document as many species as they possibly can,” says Jen.
Eyes on you
Locating amphibians such as this marbled reed frog was something of a challenge for the herpetologists, recalls Jen, because the survey trips took place before the arrival of the rainy season lured these species out of aestivation (the dry season equivalent of hibernation).
A hard day’s night
“Many of the scientists were basically working around the clock, with just a few hours of sleep”, says Jen, on the hunt for diurnal species by day and nocturnal species by night. In this image, herpetologist Mark-Oliver Rödel searches a small rockpool for frogs. Daytime might be spent with lizards or snakes sunning themselves on rocks.
On close inspection
Mozambican mammal expert Ana Gledis da Conceição examines specimen collections, while expedition leader Piotr Naskrecki photographs them. Collecting and preserving specimens is widely practiced among research communities, though an ethical debate exists among academics.
All creatures great and small
A hatchling flap-necked chameleon perches on the tip of a finger. It’s just one of 67 species of reptiles and amphibians surveyed over the course of the two expeditions, along with 475 plants, 43 mammals, 260 birds and at least 582 insects. At least 76 known plant and animal species exist in the Chimanimani Mountains and nowhere else.
Watch and learn
Botanist Bart Wursten helps his students – most of whom were on the master’s programme in Conservation Biology at Gorongosa National Park at the time – identify a plant. A graduate of that programme, António Ngovene Júnior, is now the conservation official for Chimanimani National Park.
Risky business
Entomologist and expedition leader Piotr Naskrecki captured this large predatory katydid. “These insects can bite quite hard, and must be handled with care,” notes Jen. Venomous snakes are an even tricker proposition. “Get yourself bitten and you don’t have much time,” says Jen. “So it can be quite dangerous when you’re in these very remote areas.”
A bird in the hand
Ornithologists Callie Gesmundo and Zak Pohlen collect mites from the feathers of a redcapped robin-chat, trapped in a harmless mist net set early in the morning. A holistic approach to surveying allows scientists to “identify the bird but also find out what species of mites are living on the bird,” says Jen. Mist nets, along with hand nets, are also used by mammal experts to catch bats.
Born with a hunger
A male paradise flycatcher returns to the nest to feed his chicks. “I spent hours photographing this nest by hanging halfway out of the second storey bathroom window of a building at the park headquarters, as the parents came and went all morning and evening,” recalls Jen.
Heavenly light
This photo, taken in a hurry on the way back to camp before nightfall, captures one of the most memorable moments of Jen’s time in Chimanimani: “A storm was moving in and the light just became otherworldly. Everything went orange and it was one of the most beautiful things I’ve ever seen.”
Moth to a flame
Mozambican entomologist Norina Vicente collects insects from a sheet hung beside a lightbulb. Other tools of the trade include hand nets, like the one on the ground behind her and, for collecting dung beetles, cups baited with poo.
Butterfly effect
Moth and butterfly specimens collected by Norina Vicente during the survey are now part of the specimen collection at Gorongosa National Park. For Jen, documenting the nitty-gritty of biodiversity surveying was a key element of this project. Equally important, however, was to “document this place and all the amazing things that you can see there. If it’s going to be conserved into the future, we need people to love it and to want to visit.”
ABOUT THE PHOTOGRAPHER
Jen Guyton is a photojournalist and ecologist specialising in conservation stories. She is also a National Geographic Explorer and was a 2019 Fulbright-National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellow in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique. See more of her work at jenguyton.com.