Rob Pringle helping to bring back the lions and zebras to Gorongosa National Park
Gorongosa National Park in Mozambique was once one of the world’s most diverse ecosystems
Then 16 years of civil war, starting in 1977, devastated the park. The large mammals were almost completely wiped out by humans.
Some animals, such as wild buffalo, were relocated from other African parks to help rebuild the park’s animal stocks. Large-animal populations are growing, and researchers are working on both conservation and ecology studies.
One of these scientists is Robert Pringle, assistant professor of ecology and evolutionary biology. Pringle is seizing an unusual opportunity to observe the repopulation of large mammals and other animals after their near-extinction in Gorongosa. Pringle also works in Kenya, where he is conducting contrasting experiments on large-mammal species that are artificially excluded from big, fenced-in plots of land.
Pringle first became involved with the Gorongosa Restoration Project as a conservationist and now is on its board of directors.
“We need to understand ecology if we want to save the world, but we can’t save the world with ecology alone.”
— Rob Pringle, Quoted in Princeton Alumni Weekly
The goal is to conduct research into biological processes while also addressing day-to-day park maintenance questions — a difficult task.
