Nyika National Park is known as the place “where the water comes from”, with catchments contributing an estimated 10% of Lake Malawi’s freshwater. Now, that water, together with soil from across the landscape, is helping scientists learn more about the species that call Nyika home.
The Endangered Wildlife Trust recently carried out environmental DNA, or eDNA, sampling across the Nyika-Vwaza landscape, with funding from the Deutsche Postcode Lotterie through Peace Parks Foundation.
“Environmental DNA is the genetic material that animals and other organisms naturally leave behind in their surroundings. By analysing traces of this material in water and soil, researchers can detect signs of species that may otherwise be difficult to find through traditional wildlife surveys,” says Michelle Moeller, senior ecologist for Peace Parks Foundation.
Samples were collected from different habitats across the landscape, including montane areas, miombo woodland and wetlands, and have been sent to a laboratory in Stellenbosch, South Africa, for analysis.
“This will help us understand biodiversity patterns across the landscape, identify priorities for monitoring and management, and build a stronger baseline against which we can measure change over time,” says George Nxumayo, CEO of the Nyika-Vwaza Co-management Trust.
An important part of the project was also building local monitoring capacity. Nyika-Vwaza Co-management Trust staff were trained in the sampling techniques so that eDNA monitoring can be repeated in future.
For the Trust, the research is about more than identifying species. By building a clearer picture of biodiversity across Nyika-Vwaza, the findings can help guide long-term conservation management and track how this important living landscape changes over time.