Perpetua Ezekiel Nyagwaswa
- Project name: Uncovering the Ulugurus’ rarest: high-altitude amphibians and reptiles on the edge of extinction
- Project site: Uluguru Nature Forest Reserve, Morogoro Region, Tanzania
- EDGE species: Ornate Shovel-snout Snake (Prosymna ornatissima), Uluguru Black Caecilian (Scolecomorphus uluguruensis) and other co-occurring species Uluguru blue-bellied frog (Hoplophryne uluguruensis) and Uluguru big-fingered frog (Probreviceps uluguruensis)
- Active: 2026 - ongoing
Biography
Perpetua Ezekiel Nyagwaswa is a Tanzanian M.Sc. candidate in Ecosystem Sciences and Management at Sokoine University of Agriculture. She has over two years of experience in ecological research and environmental education, having worked as a researcher and tour guide in the Eastern Arc Mountains. Her research interests include amphibian ecology, biodiversity conservation, and ecosystem management.
Perpetua is drawn to amphibians and reptiles because they are ecologically important yet frequently overlooked, feared or misunderstood. Studying near the Eastern Arc Mountains exposed her to their exceptional endemic diversity and the urgency of its protection. Through the Fellowship, she aims to build expertise in herpetology, survey design, conservation assessment and scientific communication, while helping communities connect these species to healthy forests and water.
EDGE Project
The high-altitude forests of the Uluguru Mountains shelter species found nowhere else, including the Critically Endangered Ornate Shovel-snout Snake and the Endangered Uluguru Black Caecilian, alongside other co-occurring species such as the Uluguru Blue-bellied Frog and Uluguru Big-fingered Frog.
These species spend much of their lives hidden in leaf litter or soil, making them difficult to detect and leaving major gaps in knowledge of their range and habitat needs. Agricultural encroachment, forest fragmentation and fire can dry out and damage the cool, moist microhabitats on which these poorly dispersing species depend.
Perpetua will carry out standardised field surveys to locate the target species and assess habitat condition, availability and suitability. Species records, habitat measurements and threat observations will be mapped to identify places that are especially important for survival. These ecological findings will be combined with community knowledge and expert input to identify realistic habitat-management actions for the Uluguru Nature Forest Reserve.
Baseline and follow-up surveys, focus groups, interviews and community meetings will assess local knowledge and changes in attitudes. By involving residents, schools and forest managers, and by producing a baseline for monitoring and practical habitat recommendations, Perpetua aims to bring greater attention and more effective protection to some of Tanzania’s most cryptic reptiles and amphibians.
*Species photo kindly provided by Michele Menegon. Copyrights for this image are reserved to the author.