New Species Discovered on Angola’s Lisima Plateau Prompt Conservation Action

In February, 16 specialists surveyed the Lisima plateau, recording 103 dragonfly and damselfly species (eight new), three new orthopteran taxa, and about 60 new butterfly and moth species. Highlights include a UV-fluorescent crowned crab spider and an armored predatory cricket.

People Magazine

Lisima Lya Mwono, a “biodiversity blank spot,” lies in the Angolan Highlands Water Tower, feeding the headwaters of the Congo, Okavango, Zambezi and Cuanza rivers and supporting ecosystems across 110,000 sq km downstream. Decades of war and land-mines have limited access.

Expedition to remote Angolan plateau reveals dozens of dazzling new species

The survey was led by conservation ecologist Rob Taylor of The Wilderness Project, founded by explorer Steve Boyes. Funding came from Fundação Lisima, The HALO Trust and partners; Ramsar later designated the site a wetland of international importance.

CNN

Researchers documented 103 dragonfly/damselfly species (8 undescribed), 3 new orthopteran species, ~60 new lepidopteran species, and 5.4 million ha earmarked for protection in 2025.

People Magazine

The plateau’s unique fauna underpins four major river basins and shelters species with narrow ranges, a critical buffer amid a global extinction crisis.

The Independent

The Wilderness Project warned that species with very restricted ranges are most vulnerable, citing dragonflies’ water-quality sensitivity and butterflies’ host-plant dependence. It cited the Ramsar designation and 2025 protection milestone, urging formal status to be paired with practical land-use decisions.

CNN

Taylor identified tree-felling, deforestation, artisanal diamond mining and slash-and-burn agriculture as immediate threats, with mining runoff endangering freshwater habitats.

The Independent

The rainy season stalled convoys in mud, caused motor failures and malaria cases; scientists used the delays to survey nearby dambos, swamp forests and wetlands.

People Magazine

CNN places the expedition in February 2024, while People.com reports February 2026. Sources differ on the number of new moth taxa, citing eight versus about 60. Formal descriptions remain pending.

People Magazine

• “Logistically, it was extremely difficult,” — Rob Taylor, Expedition Leader, The Wilderness Project

CNN

• “tree-felling, deforestation and ... the artisanal diamond mining industry,” — Rob Taylor, Expedition Leader, The Wilderness Project

The Independent

• “The result of the survey was higher diversity than we anticipated,” — Rob Taylor, Expedition Leader, The Wilderness Project

People Magazine

• “Longer term, we hope the findings (of the survey) support stronger protection for the plateau — not only in terms of formal conservation status, but also in practical land-use decisions on the ground,” — Rob Taylor, Expedition Leader, The Wilderness Project

CNN

Taxonomists are reviewing specimens, with formal descriptions expected soon. The Wilderness Project will lobby for expanded legal protection and community-based land-use plans to curb mining and agriculture while preserving hydrological functions.

CNN