A scientific expedition uncovered dozens of new species discovered in Angola’s remote Lisima plateau, previously unknown to science.
The Lisima plateau sits at the source of four of Africa’s greatest river systems, the Congo, the Okavango, the Zambezi, and the Cuanza. Despite feeding water to ecosystems and communities thousands of kilometers downstream, including the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World Heritage-listed Okavango Delta, decades of civil war, persistent landmines, and extreme remoteness left this landscape almost entirely uncharted by scientists.
That changed in February 2026 when The Wilderness Project’s Cassai Life Atlas expedition brought 16 African and international specialists into the region, supported by staff from Fundação Lisima and The HALO Trust. Their findings represent dozens of new species discovered in Angola, offering the most detailed picture of biodiversity yet for one of Africa’s last great blank spots on the biological map.
“As an Angolan, this work represents much more than scientific participation to me,” said biologist Laurinda Mandela de Fraga. “It is an opportunity to contribute in a meaningful way to the biological knowledge and appreciation of Angola’s natural heritage. It is also a way of leaving a lasting contribution to future generations of Angolans, while reinforcing the pride and responsibility of protecting this unique area.”
The expedition recorded 103 dragonfly and damselfly species, bringing Lisima’s known total to 163. Among these, 34 species had never been recorded in the region before, and six were added to Angola’s national species list for the first time. Eight undescribed species, first detected in 2019, are now being formally described by taxonomists.
Grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets contributed to the discovery of new species in Angola, with 47 taxa recorded, including three entirely new to science. Researchers expect this number to rise as many specimens still await specialist laboratory examination.
Grasshoppers, katydids, and crickets contributed to new species discovered in Angola, with 47 taxa recorded, including three entirely new to science, a number researchers expect to rise as many specimens still await specialist laboratory examination. Photos of an undescribed crowned crab spider that glows under UV light, one of three newly discovered katydid species, and an undescribed copper caterpillar by Nicky Bay, courtesy of The Wilderness Project.
Butterflies and moths proved especially rich, with over 1,000 individuals recorded. Geometer moths showed an unusual mixing of Congo forest, Cape fynbos, and miombo woodland species, with striking turnover in species composition across short distances and different watersheds. By rearing caterpillars, researchers linked 25 geometer moth species to 19 host-plant species across 13 plant families; eight of the moths reared appear entirely undescribed. Preliminary estimates suggest up to 6% of all recorded moth species could be new species discovered in Angola through this single survey.
“These headwaters are not only vital for biodiversity; they also provide water, ecological resilience, and support livelihoods far downstream,” said Rob Taylor, Expedition Lead and Conservation Ecologist. “A clear understanding of the biodiversity here is essential for the effective protection of the entire system.”
The herpetology survey recorded 47 taxa (24 amphibians and 23 reptiles), capturing substantial portions of the region’s known fauna in a single wet-season survey. Notable records included the Gaboon adder, variable bush viper, Anchieta’s cobra, Oates’s twig snake, and a rich assemblage of wetland frogs, underscoring the ecological importance of Lisima’s dambos and swamp forests.
In caves throughout the plateau, researchers documented Sundevall’s roundleaf bat and Rüppell’s horseshoe bat alongside associated bat flies and other ectoparasites, revealing additional layers of ecological interactions that support new species discovered in Angola beyond the headline insect and reptile counts.
Plant surveys yielded more than 320 collections across miombo woodland, wet grassland, dambos, swamp forest, river margins, and rocky stream habitats, demonstrating the botanical richness of a landscape spanning multiple distinct ecosystems within a remarkably compact area.
The Cassai Life Atlas builds on earlier surveys in the Okavango and Lungwevungu catchments conducted by the National Geographic Okavango Wilderness Project over the past decade. Together, these efforts have documented over 70 new species, with nearly 300 more awaiting taxonomic description, transforming a once poorly known headwater landscape into one of the region’s best-documented emerging conservation frontiers.
New species discovered in Angola through this survey carry urgency alongside scientific excitement. The region’s remoteness and the presence of landmines historically protected it from large-scale human disturbance. However, as road networks expand and minefields are cleared, previously inaccessible areas become increasingly vulnerable. Diamond mining, slash-and-burn agriculture, timber harvesting, and associated settlement expansion already place pressure on these ecosystems.
Forest cover is being lost. Rivers grow more turbid through erosion and sedimentation. Natural habitats become smaller, more fragmented, and increasingly isolated. These changes threaten not just individual species but also the broader ecological processes that sustain the region’s exceptional biodiversity.
The survey’s findings highlight why targeted conservation action matters now, before further degradation occurs. New species discovered in Angola demonstrate what remains possible to protect when scientific documentation precedes development pressure rather than following it. For a landscape sustaining four major river systems and millions of people downstream, understanding what lives in these headwaters is the essential first step toward ensuring they continue to flow, clear, biodiverse, and intact, for generations ahead.
