40 years of Panguana – this anniversary called for a commemoration of the history of the project, and of its roots. Initially, Maria and Hans-Wilhelm Koepcke planned research at the site for a period of five years. Soon, however, they realized that it would take the work of generations of researchers to explore and document the multitude of life in this exuberant green cosmos. Since then a great many studies, results and publications have been added, but the challenges have remained largely the same, so that a comprehensive survey of the flora and fauna still is no more than a silver lining on the horizon.