Anyone who dreams of becoming an adventurer as a child is bound to be deeply disappointed by the time they take geography class: for decades now, there have been no blank spots left on the world map.
The situation is however not hopeless for explorers: While global biodiversity continues to shrink, scientists are still making unexpected discoveries in the animal kingdom. In Angola, they have now studied an area they describe as “one of the last major blank spots in Africa’s biodiversity.” An expedition to eastern Angola announced last Wednesday that it had discovered dozens of species that appear to be completely unknown to science. This was reported by the U.S. network “CNN,” among others.
The site of these discoveries is the remote Lisima Plateau in the Angolan highlands. It is a vast and vital landscape that feeds the headwaters of the Congo, Okavango, Zambezi, and Cuanza river systems. However, its swamps and wetlands, grasslands, and forested areas have been scarcely studied by scientists to date. An almost impenetrable terrain and a devastating 27-year civil war that ended in 2002, as “CNN” reports, have made access difficult.
A detailed atlas of the plateau - That is now changing. In February of this year, “The Wilderness Project” conducted a survey called the “Cassai Life Atlas.” It complements earlier surveys by the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project.
The 16 African and international experts set out to create the most detailed picture of the plateau to date. In the process, they discovered several previously unknown species: These include a crowned crab spider that glows blue under ultraviolet light—why this happens remains to be researched.
Never-before-seen dragonfly species - According to “The Wilderness Project,” the expedition recorded 103 species of dragonflies and damselflies, bringing the total known count for the Lisima region to 163. Of these, 34 species had not previously been recorded in Lisima, and six were added to Angola’s national list. Eight previously undescribed species—first discovered in 2019—are now being officially described for the first time.
“The sandy plateau of Lisima provides some of the clearest and most reliable freshwater sources in Africa, which is reflected in the region’s dragonflies and damselflies, including several highly specialized species found nowhere else,” said Dr. Klaas-Douwe B. Dijkstra, a leading dragonfly specialist and researcher at the Naturalis Biodiversity Center in the Netherlands, in a statement from the “Wilderness Project.” The survey also recorded 47 taxa of grasshoppers, leafhoppers, and crickets, including three species new to science. This number is expected to rise, according to the project, as many grasshopper and mantis specimens are still awaiting scientific examination.
Butterflies documented for the first time - In addition, a total of 1,000 butterflies and moths were recorded. Among the geometer moths, an unusual mix of species from the Congo Forest, the Cape Fynbos, and the Miombo Forest was observed, according to the project, as well as a striking shift in species composition over short distances and across watersheds. Through the rearing of caterpillars, 25 species of geometer moths were linked to 19 host plant species from 13 plant families, and eight of these reared moths appear to be undescribed. “Preliminary estimates suggest that up to 6% of all recorded moth species could be new to science,” the press release states.
“As an Angolan, this work means far more to me than just scientific collaboration; it is an opportunity to make a significant contribution to biological knowledge and to the appreciation of Angola’s natural heritage,” says biologist Laurinda Mandela de Fraga. “It is also a chance to leave a lasting legacy for future generations of Angolans while strengthening pride in and responsibility for the protection of this unique area.”
Of critical ecological importance - These headwaters are not only of critical importance for biodiversity but also provide water supply, ecological resilience, and secure livelihoods far downstream, adds Rob Taylor, expedition leader and conservation ecologist. “A clear understanding of the biodiversity present here is essential for the effective protection of the entire system.”
Taken together, these findings underscore the Lisima Plateau’s status as both a biodiversity hotspot and a freshwater source for southern Africa, according to “The Wilderness Project.” Historically, the region has been protected by a combination of its remoteness and the presence of minefields, which have limited access and large-scale human interference. “However, with the expansion of the road network and the clearance of minefields, previously inaccessible areas are becoming increasingly vulnerable to human impacts. Activities such as diamond mining, slash-and-burn agriculture, logging, and the associated expansion of settlements are already straining the region’s ecosystems,” writes “The Wilderness Project".
The plateau must be protected - Forest cover is declining, rivers are becoming murkier due to erosion and sedimentation, and natural habitats are shrinking, becoming more fragmented, and increasingly isolated.
“These changes threaten not only individual species but also the ecological processes that maintain the region’s biodiversity,” the project states. “This study highlights the region’s exceptional biological value and underscores the urgent need for targeted conservation measures to mitigate these threats before further degradation occurs.” Securing legal protection for the plateau for the coming decades is therefore a priority for “The Wilderness Project". According to CNN, the organisation, together with partners, successfully advocated for 5.4 million hectares of the plateau to be designated as a protected area in 2025.
Last October, the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands also designated the area known as Lisima Lya Mwono (“Source of Life”) as a Wetland of International Importance and highlighted the role of its groundwater in supplying the surrounding 110,000-square-kilometre ecosystem. “In the long term, we hope that the findings (of the study) will support stronger protection of the plateau—not only in terms of formal protected status but also in practical on-the-ground land-use decisions,” Taylor told CNN. “The goal isn’t simply to document new species but to ensure that the habitats on which they depend remain intact.”
