The Lost Mountain is moving forward: the Additive Adventure 2015 Next Gen Symposium is in July, and we have 26 participants from Africa and North America. The African participant team is assembled. Seventeen students from Namibia, Zimbabwe, South Africa and Mozambique ranging from undergraduate to doctoral students will join us in Gorongosa National Park. Meet the second four:

Nelson Piassone Mulezere, Mozambique, Positive Tracks Next Gen | Undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences at Universidade Lúrio, Pemba. At present, my professional vision is to be a conservation biologist. I have started a course in biological sciences that has shown me a broader view of methods for the conservation of the environment.

What inspires me to participate in the Lost Mountain 2015 Symposium is that I want to preserve the genetic heritage, which in recent times has [seen] a rapid degradation of forests and high death rate of various species of animals my country, caused by anthropogenic factors. This Symposium is an opportunity for me to get practical knowledge from scientists who can help me develop restoration projects and preserve several species of plants and animals in a manner that does not create conflicts with the communities that survive on the game and [through] agricultural practices.

Salvador J. A. Nanvonamuquitxo, Mozambique, Graduate student studying Forestry Engineering at Universidade Lúrio, Mocuba. My name is Salvador Nanvonamuquitxo, I am the son of humble farmer, who has always lived on the basis of family farming. At a young age, I started my passion for the environment. When I finished my secondary schooling, I joined the Faculty of Agronomic and Forestry Engineering, in the Mocuba District, motivated by the passion to know more about the environment and the processes that occur there. I believe that with the training received at the Symposium will be able to improve my skills in research in the environmental field as well as empower the community in my area about the care of the environment.

Gerson Souto Tembissa, Mozambique, Masters candidate in Rural Engineering at Eduardo Mondlane University, Maputo. I am passionate about agro-ecology, however, I developed more interest in environmental conservation when I was invited to participate in an environmental diagnosis in 2012 to verify the impacts caused by farming on steep areas in the province of Manica (Penhalonga) [Mozambique]. I am currently a teacher trainee at Universidade Pedagógica, monitoring the subject of Introduction to Planning in the course of Environmental Management and Community Development, where I hope to raise awareness for more communities and create more interventions through some field activities that I am planning.

What inspires me to participate in this Symposium is that I want to seek new technical and scientific skills that allow me to be more dynamic through the spirit of awareness and responsibility. Also, I believe that the knowledge gained will help in decision making, management and resolution of environmental conflicts, which will help improve social and economic development, ensuring income for other productive activities of the communities that are in situations vulnerable to poverty because they depend on the natural resources for their survival.

Delson Luís Vutane, Mozambique, Positive Tracks Next Gen | Undergraduate student majoring in Biological Sciences at Universidade Lúrio, Pemba. I am studying Biological Sciences because it is a course that is closely related to my passions, animals and nature in general. My dream is to be a biologist/scientist with more experience in research and more credibility in the scientific world. In Mozambique, the number of local researchers is relatively low, which results in a deficiency of  published works that address biodiversity or natural systems of Mozambique. My ambition is to understand the nature and how it functions.

It is my desire to participate in this training, first because it is a formation that is related to my training in biological sciences. My participation in this Symposium could be an opportunity to become a person with a broad view on the perspective of biodiversity conservation. Currently, the threats to biodiversity are multiplying and loss of biodiversity is a concern for biologists. After the training received during the 2015 Conservation Symposium, I will be able to draw the most viable methods for environmental conservation and sustainability with clear bases and concrete methods.