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A nine-hour journey up the Ogooué and Ivindo Rivers took the team into the heart of the pristine Gabonese rain forests. There they began collecting and cataloguing specimens. Fish are sensitive to small changes in the water, so their health is a primary indicator of the condition of an entire ecosystem. They sound an early alarm if pollutants are entering the waters.
In the Field
The expedition began the process of identifying and recording many of the freshwater fish in these rivers.
They also started training Gabonese students in field methods and conservation techniques.
In the Long Term
Their studies will provide a profile of the species and numbers of fish that live in the region now--and the expedition has already found some new species.
When this baseline information is compared to data collected on future expeditions, it will show whether areas or species are threatened. Unless that fundamental biological information has been collected--and for many species on earth it's already too late--there is no way to plan how to manage and conserve resources.
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