MinerAlert
MinerAlert
The Eastern Afromontane biodiversity hotspot is a vast and ecologically rich region encompassing four mountain ranges. It features a variety of ecosystems, including bamboo forests, grasslands, and wetlands.
Spanning 14 countries on the eastern side of Africa, ranging from some of the richest to the poorest nations, this region supports tens of millions of people who rely on its crucial resources. However, overexploitation threatens both its ecosystems and the well-being of the communities that depend on them.
Protected areas conserve, on average, 45% of native species’ ranges across the region. Conservation coverage can be as low as only 28% for native reptiles and amphibians and as high as 84% for large mammals.
I knew Wandege had found something truly awesome—and venomous—when he emerged from the forest with a spring in his step. His cloth snake bag was tied to the end of a long branch to ensure it was kept at a safe distance from his body. Three excited Batwa followed in his wake and all of them seemed eager to see my reaction.
“Venomous?” I asked as he approached.
“Yesss,” he replied with a satisfied grin.
“What is it?” I asked impatiently, like a kid who could not wait to unwrap a present.
Wandege smiled as he carefully untied the bag and then used a pair of snake tongs to pour three feet of wriggling serpent coils onto a muddy clearing near the laboratory. The snake was silvery grayish brown with brown speckles and a series of darker brown diamonds along the entire length of its body and tail. The center of each diamond was light pinkish cream. In an instant, it righted its body, raised its head to reveal catlike eyes, cocked its head back in a threatening, S-shaped coil, and flickered an orangish-red tongue at us.
“Wow!” I exclaimed as my camera documented the snake in all its splendor. It was a powdered tree snake (Toxicodryas pulverulenta), so named for the pattern of spots and speckles on its body. Known from forests and nearby habitats across a huge part of tropical Africa, this nocturnal snake eats frogs, lizards, and rodents when it can catch them in trees. These snakes have fangs at the back of their mouth that are capable of injecting venom, but the effect on humans is completely unknown, and given the secretive nature of the species, no snakebites have ever been documented by scientists. Wandege was wise to be cautious because a close relative of the species has a powerful neurotoxic venom that can kill a mouse in a minute flat. None of us wished to be a guinea pig for the first known snakebite. Years later, DNA results from this snake would show that it is an example of a cryptic species (genetically distinct from its superficially similar sister species on the western side of the Niger River Delta), and in 2021, we described it as a new and distinct species, Toxicodryas adamantea.
Excerpt from: Greenbaum, Eli. 2025. Venomous River: Changing Climate, Imperiled Forests, and a Scientist's Race to Find New Species in the Congo. High Road Books, imprint of The University of New Mexico Press
The Albertine Rift, a series of mountains in the Eastern Afromontane hotspot, is one of Africa’s richest areas for unique and threatened species, blending forest, woodland, and grassland along the eastern edge of the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC).
The critically endangered Eastern Gorilla (Gorilla beringei), shown here in Kahuzi-Biega National Park, is a gentle giant of the Albertine Rift. Weighing up to 440 pounds, these shy, plant-eating primates face extinction due to habitat loss, poaching, disease, and climate change—with no captive populations to fall back on.
In December 2023, UTEP Professor Eli Greenbaum explores the Itombwe Plateau, the most biodiverse mountain area in the Albertine Rift. UTEP expeditions from 2008–2024 have uncovered many rare and even new species of amphibians and reptiles in this remote region.
White Striped – Reed Frog
Hyperolius leucotaenius
Endangered
Thought to have been extinct, the white-striped reed frog was rediscovered in 2009 by Dr. Eli Greenbaum, Dr. Chifundera Kusamba, and other Congolese colleagues.
The White-Striped Reed Frog is a pale green frog with vivid yellow bands running from the snout down the back. Their limbs are bluish-green and fade into red fingers and toe discs. They are sexually dimorphic, with breeding males exhibiting yellow or greenish throats, pink toes, and fine black spots on their back.
This frog can be found in the Itombwe and Kabobo Plateau highlands in the eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo at 1850–2000 meters above sea level.
Their translucence makes these frogs’ organs visible through the skin. White-striped Reed Frogs dwell in a limited area that is threatened by human expansion and mining operations that pollute and shrink their habitat.
Great Lakes Spiny Reed Frog
Afrixalus lacustris
Least Concern
The more common yellow coloration and metallic reflections on this frog were once described by Belgian herpetologist Raymond Laurent’s assistant as appearing to be “dipped in gold.”
The Great Lakes Spiny Reed Frog is a brownish to yellowish gold frog with dark brown speckling and a distinct dark brown stripe between the upper eyelids and other, less defined stripes on other parts of its body. It is also significantly smaller than frogs in the same genus.
These frogs live in swamps in the vegetation near forest edges and streams, many of which are national parks or protected areas.
Marungu Girdled Lizard
Cordylus marunguensis
Endangered
This diurnal, terrestrial reptile feeds on local insects such as beetles.
This species was discovered in a mine field left over from the Second Congo War. This species is only found in Pepa in the Marungu Plateau, Tanganyika Province in southeastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, 2000–2200 meters above sea level.
The Marungu Girdled Lizard is a small reptile with a depressed head and body. It is a greyish brown color with cream to tan flecks and a yellowish ring around the neck. This lizard’s scales are also rough, rectangular, and spiny though its underside is smoother and lighter in color.
Natural areas of the Marungu Plateau were once much larger but deforestation and controlled burns in the grasslands have shrunk it considerably. The Marungu Girdled Lizard is particularly affected by agricultural expansion through these burns.
Asukulu’s Grass Lizard
Congolacerta asukului
Endangered
They dwell exclusively in the highest elevations of the Itombwe Plateau, 2650–3400 meters above sea level. This reptile prefers cool, montane grassland and is often basking on rocky outcrops or within the grass. Their habitat is unfortunately receding over time due to climate change and grassland burning for agricultural expansion.
Asukulu’s Grass Lizard is a diurnal, medium-sized reptile. It is brown or tan with brown to black blotches in a line along its spine and cream to off-white markings through their eyes and on the flanks and sides of the tail.
This lizard was named in memory of zoologist, conservationist, and valued colleague, Asukulu M’Mema, who guided the 2009 Itombwe Plateau expedition when it was discovered. Unfortunately, his time was cut short when he was tragically killed just after this journey.
Chifundera’s Green Snake
Philothamnus chifunderai
Least Concern
Order: Squamata
Family: Colubridae
Genus: Philothamnus
These snakes can be found in several countries in Central and East Africa, most notably east of the Congo and Ubangi Rivers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, 600–2300 meters above sea level.
Like the closely related 13-Scaled Green Snake, one way to identify this species is by the scale count around the midbody.
These oviparous (egg-laying) snakes have been documented laying eggs in communal nests.
Named in honor of the dedicated herpetologist, Dr. Zacharie Kusamba Chifundera, Chifundera’s Green Snake can be a range of green, tan, or greyish colors with dark brown or black crossbars.
The sharp boundary between Uganda’s Bwindi Impenetrable National Park and surrounding farmland highlights the intense pressure on natural habitats in the Albertine Rift, one of the world’s most densely populated regions. As Africa’s population rises, protected areas and strong conservation efforts are vital to preserving what is left of the wild.
Environmental damage from a Canadian gold mining operation at Twangiza, in the foothills of the Itombwe Plateau in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. A key part of gold extraction is mercury, a toxic pollutant that harms people, plants, and wildlife. Some mines are controlled by militias that exploit locals to supply global tech industries that make our cell phones, game consoles, and lithium-ion batteries.
Tropical forests like those in the East Afromontane hotspot help cool the global climate by creating clouds, humidity, and chemicals like terpenes. They also act as carbon sinks, storing about one-fourth of Earth’s land-based carbon. Protecting these forests is vital in the fight against climate change.
After training in Conservation Biology at the Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust in the UK, I was appointed Director of the Mount Tshiaberimu Gorilla Conservation Project in Virunga National Park, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. From 2001 to 2005, I led wildlife monitoring and conducted population and habitat studies on the endangered gorillas. I also helped develop community-based conservation projects to engage local people in protecting the area. Unfortunately, armed conflict in the region forced us to pause our work.
Relocating to the Itombwe Forest Massif, I joined efforts to establish the Itombwe Nature Reserve, home to the eastern lowland gorilla (Gorilla beringei graueri). With support from the Conservation Leadership Programme and the Rufford Foundation, I promoted a community-led approach to conservation.
With my academic background in herpetology, I also led surveys in the Virunga and Itombwe regions. In collaboration with Professor Eli Greenbaum (UTEP), we rediscovered rare amphibians like the Golden Frog (Chrysobatrachus cupreonitens) and described new reptile species such as Asukulu’s Grass Lizard (Congolacerta asukului). These discoveries helped designate Itombwe as a Key Biodiversity Area. Today, I continue my research at the Centre of Research in Natural Sciences in Lwiro and teach Conservation Biology at universities across the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
~ Dr. Chifundera Kusamba