May 12, 2026 |
Gorongosa marked the 12th anniversary of the E.O. Wilson Biodiversity Laboratory, which has become one of Africa’s leading centres for biodiversity research and training.
Over the last twelve years, the laboratory has significantly expanded its scientific reach, enabling a deeper understanding of Gorongosa’s ecosystems and the park’s biodiversity composition.
According to Gorongosa National Park (PNG) , the date marks a milestone in the growth of scientific research and academic training linked to conservation in Mozambique, and it maintains that more is known about the biodiversity of this protected area than of any other protected area in Africa.
The laboratory was born out of a vision associated with the biologist Edward O. Wilson, a global authority on biodiversity conservation, and the scientific development project being driven forward in Gorongosa.
The inauguration of the facility was also marked by the involvement of Greg Carr, whose commitment to a modern scientific facility in the heart of the African wilderness is also significant in the African context.
According to Piotr Naskrecki, director of the E.O. Wilson Laboratory, “thanks to the team at the E.O. Wilson Laboratory, we now know more about the composition of the biodiversity in our national park than in any other protected area in Africa in history”.
“I am immensely grateful to the phenomenal team at the E.O. Wilson Laboratory for their years of hard, yet extremely rewarding, work. Many people have contributed to the development of the E.O. Wilson Laboratory; it would be impossible to list them all here,” he adds.
The laboratory’s growth has been made possible by the work of an extended team and the continuous increase in the number of visiting researchers, students and collaborators, which now runs into the hundreds. This journey, he notes, has made the E.O. Wilson Laboratory “one of the most active and scientifically productive research centres on the continent”.
The educational aspect is another key focus. The training programme launched shortly after the laboratory opened has evolved rapidly and has become, according to Gorongosa, one of the most sought-after educational programmes in Mozambique. Among the most recent achievements is the graduation of the fourth cohort of the master’s programme, which took place earlier this month.
In the published statement, Piotr Naskrecki thanks the laboratory team and highlights the contribution of several individuals to the consolidation of the project. Among the names mentioned are Dr Marc Stalmans, Dr Tara Massad and Jason Denlinger, cited as key figures in the institution’s growth and success.
The 12th-anniversary celebration serves as an opportunity to take stock of a project that bridges science, conservation and education, in a context where the generation of knowledge on biodiversity has become central to ecosystem management and the training of new generations of researchers in Mozambique.
Photos: Scientists from Gorongosa and other protected areas photographed by Piotr Naskrecki in PNG at the end of 2025.
