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Biodiversity Expedition to the Lowland Forests, Savannahs and Coral Reefs of Tanzania - July 2006 Eighteen biology students and three staff members spent two weeks in Tanzania this summer helping learn the techniques for baseline biodiversity studies in tropical ecosystems. The Conservation organisation Frontier is engaged in work to assess the effect of human pressure on some of the richest wildlife habitats on the planet and our students and staff had the opportunity to take part in these studies. On arrival in Dar Es Salaam we made a rapid transfer to our first study site, the Pugu Coastal forest Reserve (1-3). This is an area of tropical forest surrounding a reservoir supplying water to the local town of Pugu, and proved an excellent site for the study of birds, butterflies, mammals (most prominent of which is the Sykes Monkey (Cercopithicus nictitans mitus), reptiles and amphibians as well as a vast array of invertebrates e.g. The African Giant Millipede (Archispirostreptus spp.) the African Land Snail (Achatina fulica) and the Golden Orb-Web Spider (Nephila spp.) (4-8). We quickly became acquainted with our tents and after watching a large Nile Monitor Lizard (Varanus niloticus) swimming across the reservoir we helped empty the forest mist nets used to catch and then identify the local birds (9-11). We were extremely grateful to have the help of one of Tanzania's foremost professional ornithologists, Jacob Kiure, and during our time in the forest he showed us an amazing array of birds, several of them rare and endemic to the area e.g. the East Coast Akalet (Sheppardia sharpie), the Pygmy Kingfisher (Ispidina picta) the Green Backed Twinspot (Mandingoa nitidula) and the Red Capped Robin Chat (Cossypha natalensis) (12-15). Over the next three days, excellent meals of rice and beans sustained us in the forest, where, as well as mist netting birds, we caught and identified, with the help of Frontier scientist Colin Bonnington, a large number of species of butterfly and other invertebrates (16-23) and undertook 90m forest transects to assess illegal human timber extraction and note evidence of mammal activity e.g. Aardvark (Orycteropus afer), Porcupine (Hystrix cristata), Duiker (Sylvicapra grimmia), and Dik Dik (Madoqua kirkii) (24,25). Other highlights included watching and videoing the courtship behaviour of Africa's largest Eagle, the African Crowned Eagle (Stephanoaetus coronatus) then watching this same Eagle attempting to hunt Sykes Monkeys (26). Later we successfully hunted for Flap necked Chameleons (Chamaeleo delepis) and Bushbabies (Galago crassicaudatus ) by torchlight and observed the spectacular Palm Nut Vulture (Gyphohierax angolensis) (27,28). A lasting memory for the lower sixth group, with Mr Horne and their expedition leader Steve Lockwood, will be getting lost then navigating themselves back to camp down a densely forested mountain with the aid of GPS and a machete (29), while I think the Upper sixth group will remember their "extreme" monkey hunting in similar terrain (30-32). From Pugu we travelled inland to Mikumi National Park for the much-anticipated Safari phase of our expedition (33). Not as well known as some other national parks in Tanzania, Mikumi, together with the adjoining Selous game reserve, forms the largest protected area in the country. We had to drive through the National Park to our hostel- the Kilimanjaro Lodge- and it is difficult to describe the excitement as we entered the park in the dark to have our first view of an Elephant (Loxodonta africana) partly blocking the road (34,35). The next day we entered the park before sunrise and were treated to some of the sort of unforgettable sights that only Africa could offer. We got amazingly close views of large numbers of Elephant, Baboon (Papio cynocephalus), Common Zebra (Equus quagga), Impala (Aepyceros melampus) , Wildebeeste (Connochaetes taurinus), Masai Giraffe (Giraffa camellopardalis) (36-40) and a pride of Lions (Panthera leo), the latter greeted with so much excitement that we nearly turned our bus over! Visits to several waterholes later in the day allowed us to see Warthog (Phacochoerus aethiopicus), Cape Buffalo (Syncerus caffer), Hippo (Hippopotamus amphibious) and Nile Crocodile (Crocodilus niloticus) (41,42). We left Mikumi the following day as the sun rose leaving behind some of the most unforgettable sights of our trip. However it was now week two and it was time for our Dive Training in the Indian Ocean. A short flight took us to Mafia Island south east of Dar Es Salaam (43-45). Frontier are engaged in a follow up survey of diversity and population size of, amongst other things, reef fish, gastropod molluscs, and sea birds, in the 822 square kilometre Mafia Island Marine Park, in order to check for any signs of deterioration since their last survey between 1989- 1995 (46). Once again the local flora and fauna was breathtaking (47-52) and King's students got involved in the study of island land fauna and the continuing creation of baseline species lists for the area e.g. the gastropod molluscs such as the Tiger Cowrie (Cyprae tigris) (53) revealed at low tide on top of the reefs. As dive training progressed (54-59) we could begin to appreciate the incredible underwater life on the reefs (60-63), some of the most diverse in the world, and including the Giant Moray Eel (Gymnothorax javanicus), Scalefin Anthias (Pseudanthias squamipinnis), Indian Turkeyfish (Pterois miles) as well as many species of Butterflyfish, Surgeonfish, Tang, Bannerfish, Wrasse, Angelfish, Parrotfish, Triggerfish and Emperor amongst many others. Particular favourites were the Moorish Idol (Zanclus cornutus) and the Cleaner Wrasse (Labroides dimidiatus) and watching young Barracuda (Sphyraena barracuda) feeding over the shallow reef next to Meweni Island as an African Fish Eagle (Haliaeetus vocifer) watched from his perch above (64). We sailed between dive sites on a Dhow (65-71), with Mrs. Crewe-Read counting us in and out of the boat with near mathematical precision, and we were lucky enough to see Humpback Whale (Megaptera novaeangliae) (72,73), Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata) and Humpback Dolphin (Sousa chiensis) at various times on these voyages. Each evening after our sumptuous feast of rice and beans and a wash in a bucket of sea water we watched large groups of Commores Flying Foxes (Pteropus comorensis) leaving their roost on nearby Chole Island (74,75) and flying over us in search of food (thankfully fruit), while the local Sykes Monkey family group gathered around camp for their evening entertainment, human watching (76). Suitably qualified as PADI Open water divers and after several truck and plane journeys we left Mafia Island and Tanzania. We had a fabulous time and thank Frontier staff, particularly Jenny Birch, Luke Hately- Broad, Margaret Baldwin, Alyssa Marshall and Dennis Rweyemamu for their help in making this expedition possible. T Keeley
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