VWAZA RESEARCH OFF TO A GREAT START
It’s only been four months since we opened up Malawi’s first Wildlife Research Institute in Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve and we’re thrilled with the results so far. Vwaza is a stunning reserve, relatively remote and untouched and teaming with wildlife, located in the Malawi-Zambia Trans-Frontier Conservation Area. As a joint venture between Department of National […]
It’s only been four months since we opened up Malawi’s first Wildlife Research Institute in Vwaza Marsh Wildlife Reserve and we’re thrilled with the results so far.
Vwaza is a stunning reserve, relatively remote and untouched and teaming with wildlife, located in the Malawi-Zambia Trans-Frontier Conservation Area. As a joint venture between Department of National Parks & Wildlife, Lilongwe Wildlife Trust and Conservation Research Africa, we aim to assess the nature and patterns of biodiversity to inform and improve conservation and park management, both within the reserve and in other reserves around the country.
Biosphere Expeditions have spent the last month there helping us to conduct research activities such as live and camera trapping, target species searches, transect and species identification work – and you can see from the results below that their hard work paid off. Thanks so much to all who took part.
INTERESTED IN JOINING THE TEAM?
The research institute is an ideal base for BSc, PhD and MSc students looking to fulfil their course’s placement, either to conduct their own research or join our existing projects. We also welcome volunteers who would like to support our research team on our elephant and primate projects. Find out more here or email lilongwewildlife@gmail.com for an information pack.
| Activity | Group 1 | Group 2 |
| Driving Transect | 13 | 19 |
| Walking Transect | 3 | 4 |
| Hippo driving transect | 2 | 2 |
| Hippo walking transect | 3 | 3 |
| LMT driving # sightings | 16 | 24 |
| LMT walking # sightings | 1 | 8 |
| Hippo driving sightings (total # hippos counted) | 300 | 172 |
| Hippo walking sightings | 368 | 524 |
| Elephant herd observations | 8 | 9 |
| Elephant new IDs | 11 | 12 |
| Dung collected and processed | 16 | 7 |
| Seeds found | 1,644 | 389 |
| Seeds processed | 954 | 201 |
| Baboon observations | 3 | 4 |
| # focal observations | 13 | 0 |
| # scan observations | 43 | 125 |
| Bat BMP surveys | 2 | 2 |
| Bat opportunistic surveys | 2 | 4 |
| Harp trap hours | 22 | 38 |
| Mist net hours per m2 | 539 | 670.5 |
| Total bats caught | 8 | 21 |
| Number of bat families caught | 3 | 3 |
| Number of bat species caught | 4 | 4 |
| Vegetation survey | 3 | 3 |
| Trees measured | 22 | 18 |
| Tree species identified | 2 | 2 |
| Insect BMP surveys | 1 | 2 |
| Insect opportunistic surveys | 0 | 2 |
| Insects processed | 53 | 481 |
| Number of orders identified | 7 | 11 |
| Scats collected | 17 | 4 |
| Camera traps set | 22 | 24 |
| Total animal images caught | 1,246 | 843 |
| Number of species caught | 26 | 21 |
| Number of carnivore species | 6 | 5 |
| Number of big cat images | 2 | 1 |
| Animals caught on camera trap: | bushbuck | elephant | elephant shrew | honey badger | kudu | puku |
| caracal | guinea fowl | water mongoose | impala | buffalo | warthog | |
| civet | white-tailed mongoose | leopard | baboon | serval | vervet | |
| common duiker | large spotted genet | bushpig | porcupine | African wildcat | hyaena | |
| lion | slender mongoose | scrubhare | roan | hippo |
