ZRVRP, South Luangwa, Zambia

The ZRVRP was launched in 2019 by project directors Dr. Amy L. Rector (Virginia Commonwealth University) and Dr. Thierra K. Nalley (Western University). Along with project members Dr. Lucas Delezene and Dr. Amelia Villasenor (University of Arkansas), the ZRVRP team is actively exploring the past and present mammalian and human communities relying on the Luangwa River. ZRVRP research goals include fossil surveys, taphonomic bone surveys, and live animal census surveys.

Our first full field season began in summer of 2023 with our colleagues Joseph Museba (Zambian National Heritage Conservation Commission), Dr. Lillian Spencer (Glendale Community College), and Marie Vergamini (Virginia Commonwealth University). We will continue with Earthwatch in 2025.

Follow our adventures at @zambiarift and visit Earthwatch for more information and to join us.

The Zambia Rift Valley Research Project is funded by Earthwatch, the American Philosophical Society, and the College of Humanities and Sciences and the Faculty Council at Virginia Commonwealth University.

Recent work from the ZRVRP team:

Rector, A.L., Delezene, L., Nalley, T.K., Villaseñor, A. 2023. The Zambia Rift Valley Research Project: Exploring Human Evolution at the Crossroads of Africa. L’anthropologie 127, 103211. Invited volume. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anthro.2023.103211