Bangweulu Wetlands
Encyclopedia
The Bangweulu Wetlands ecosystem
covers a large area exhibiting great biodiversity
which is under environmental stress and in need of conservation
. It comprises the Bangweulu Swamps
and associated grassy floodplain
in northern Zambia
, surrounding most of Lake Bangweulu
except to the west.
The wetlands are known for wildlife including the near-endemic
black lechwe, tsessebe, reedbuck
, oribi
, sitatunga
, elephant
, African buffalo
, crocodile
, hippopotamus
, and many kinds of birds such as pelican
, spoonbill
, flamingo
, shoebill
, wattled crane
, saddle-billed stork
, spur-winged goose
, sacred ibis
, glossy ibis
, black-crowned night heron
, white-fronted bee-eater
, swamp flycatcher
, rosy-throated longclaw
, Fuelleborn's longclaw
, Denham’s bustard
and numerous waterfowl
and many other birds.
They are one of the few breeding grounds of the shoebill
, a large stork-related bird classified as an endangered species
which is vulnerable because it nests on the ground and only has two offspring per year.
The environmental stress is caused by human settlement
and hunting (especially of the black lechwe), fishing, and cattle-grazing. Some of the chiefs of the area have attempted to regulate fishing and hunting, but many in the Bangweulu basin are affected by poverty and do not have viable alternatives to support themselves. Some former miners thrown out of work by the restructuring of the Copperbelt mines relocated to the area in the hope of supporting their families by exploiting the area's resources.
The wetlands today do not include a viable wildlife reserve
. The Isangano National Park
in the north-east is defunct, having no management or protection. The Kasanka National Park
about 50 km south of the wetland has a site called Shoebill Island Camp within the wetland and thus has a role in monitoring and protecting it, and in 2007 was the closest protected area
.
Ecosystem
An ecosystem is a biological environment consisting of all the organisms living in a particular area, as well as all the nonliving , physical components of the environment with which the organisms interact, such as air, soil, water and sunlight....
covers a large area exhibiting great biodiversity
Biodiversity
Biodiversity is the degree of variation of life forms within a given ecosystem, biome, or an entire planet. Biodiversity is a measure of the health of ecosystems. Biodiversity is in part a function of climate. In terrestrial habitats, tropical regions are typically rich whereas polar regions...
which is under environmental stress and in need of conservation
Habitat conservation
Habitat conservation is a land management practice that seeks to conserve, protect and restore, habitat areas for wild plants and animals, especially conservation reliant species, and prevent their extinction, fragmentation or reduction in range...
. It comprises the Bangweulu Swamps
Lake Bangweulu
Bangweulu — 'where the water sky meets the sky' — is one of the world's great wetland systems, comprising Lake Bangweulu, the Bangweulu Swamps and the Bangweulu Flats or floodplain...
and associated grassy floodplain
Floodplain
A floodplain, or flood plain, is a flat or nearly flat land adjacent a stream or river that stretches from the banks of its channel to the base of the enclosing valley walls and experiences flooding during periods of high discharge...
in northern Zambia
Zambia
Zambia , officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country in Southern Africa. The neighbouring countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the north, Tanzania to the north-east, Malawi to the east, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Namibia to the south, and Angola to the west....
, surrounding most of Lake Bangweulu
Lake Bangweulu
Bangweulu — 'where the water sky meets the sky' — is one of the world's great wetland systems, comprising Lake Bangweulu, the Bangweulu Swamps and the Bangweulu Flats or floodplain...
except to the west.
The wetlands are known for wildlife including the near-endemic
Endemic (ecology)
Endemism is the ecological state of being unique to a defined geographic location, such as an island, nation or other defined zone, or habitat type; organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found elsewhere. For example, all species of lemur are endemic to the...
black lechwe, tsessebe, reedbuck
Reedbuck
Reedbuck is a common name for African antelopes from the genus Redunca. These species are:* Southern Reedbuck, Redunca arundinum* Mountain Reedbuck, Redunca fulvorufula* Bohor Reedbuck, Redunca redunca...
, oribi
Oribi
Oribi are graceful slender-legged, long-necked small antelope found in grassland almost throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:...
, sitatunga
Sitatunga
The situtunga or marshbuck is a swamp-dwelling antelope found throughout Central Africa, centering on the Democratic Republic of the Congo, Cameroon and parts of Southern Sudan as well as in Ghana, Botswana, Zambia, Gabon, Tanzania, Uganda and Kenya.-Description:Situtunga stand about one and a...
, elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
, African buffalo
African Buffalo
The African buffalo, affalo, nyati, Mbogo or Cape buffalo is a large African bovine. It is not closely related to the slightly larger wild Asian water buffalo, but its ancestry remains unclear...
, crocodile
Crocodile
A crocodile is any species belonging to the family Crocodylidae . The term can also be used more loosely to include all extant members of the order Crocodilia: i.e...
, hippopotamus
Hippopotamus
The hippopotamus , or hippo, from the ancient Greek for "river horse" , is a large, mostly herbivorous mammal in sub-Saharan Africa, and one of only two extant species in the family Hippopotamidae After the elephant and rhinoceros, the hippopotamus is the third largest land mammal and the heaviest...
, and many kinds of birds such as pelican
Pelican
A pelican, derived from the Greek word πελεκυς pelekys is a large water bird with a large throat pouch, belonging to the bird family Pelecanidae....
, spoonbill
Spoonbill
Spoonbills are a group of large, long-legged wading birds in the family Threskiornithidae, which also includes the Ibises.All have large, flat, spatulate bills and feed by wading through shallow water, sweeping the partly opened bill from side to side...
, flamingo
Flamingo
Flamingos or flamingoes are gregarious wading birds in the genus Phoenicopterus , the only genus in the family Phoenicopteridae...
, shoebill
Shoebill
The Shoebill also known as Whalehead or Shoe-billed Stork, is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill. The adult bird is tall, long, across the wingspan and weighs . Their beaks have an average length of length of . The adult is mainly grey while the...
, wattled crane
Wattled Crane
The Wattled Crane, Bugeranus carunculatus is a large bird found in Africa south of the Sahara Desert. It is monotypical for its genus.At a height of up to , it is the largest crane in Africa and is the second tallest species of crane, after the Sarus Crane. The wingspan is , the length is...
, saddle-billed stork
Saddle-billed Stork
The Saddle-billed Stork is a large wading bird in the stork family, Ciconiidae. It is a widespread species which is a resident breeder in sub-Saharan Africa from Sudan, Ethiopia and Kenya south to South Africa, and in The Gambia, Senegal, Côte d'Ivoire and Chad in west Africa.This is a close...
, spur-winged goose
Spur-winged Goose
The Spur-winged Goose is a large bird in the family Anatidae, related to the geese and the shelducks, but distinct from both of these in a number of anatomical features, and therefore treated in its own subfamily, the Plectropterinae...
, sacred ibis
Sacred Ibis
The African Sacred Ibis is a species of ibis.-Description:An adult individual is 68 cm long with all-white body plumage apart from dark plumes on the rump. The bald head and neck, thick curved bill and legs are black. The white wings show a black rear border in flight...
, glossy ibis
Glossy Ibis
The Glossy Ibis is a wading bird in the ibis family Threskiornithidae.This is the most widespread ibis species, breeding in scattered sites in warm regions of Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Atlantic and Caribbean region of the Americas...
, black-crowned night heron
Black-crowned Night Heron
The Black-crowned Night Heron commonly abbreviated to just Night Heron in Eurasia, is a medium-sized heron found throughout a large part of the world, except in the coldest regions and Australasia .-Description:Adults are...
, white-fronted bee-eater
White-fronted Bee-eater
The White-fronted Bee-eater, Merops bullockoides, is a species of bee-eater widely distributed in sub-equatorial Africa.They have a distinctive white forehead, a square tail and a bright red patch on their throat...
, swamp flycatcher
Swamp Flycatcher
The Swamp Flycatcher or Swamp Alseonax is a species of bird in the Muscicapidae family.It is found in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Central African Republic, Chad, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea-Bissau, Kenya, Mali, Niger, Nigeria, Rwanda, Senegal,...
, rosy-throated longclaw
Rosy-throated Longclaw
The Rosy-throated Longclaw, also known as the Rosy-breasted Longclaw, Macronyx ameliae, is a species of bird in the Motacillidae family....
, Fuelleborn's longclaw
Fuelleborn's Longclaw
The Fülleborn's Longclaw , also spelled Fuelleborn's Longclaw is a species of bird in the Motacillidae family...
, Denham’s bustard
Stanley Bustard
Denham's Bustard, Stanley Bustard or Stanley's Bustard, Neotis denhami, is a large bird in the bustard family. It breeds in much of sub-Saharan Africa. It is a species of open ground, including agricultural land, grassland, flood-plains and burnt fynbos...
and numerous waterfowl
Waterfowl
Waterfowl are certain wildfowl of the order Anseriformes, especially members of the family Anatidae, which includes ducks, geese, and swans....
and many other birds.
They are one of the few breeding grounds of the shoebill
Shoebill
The Shoebill also known as Whalehead or Shoe-billed Stork, is a very large stork-like bird. It derives its name from its massive shoe-shaped bill. The adult bird is tall, long, across the wingspan and weighs . Their beaks have an average length of length of . The adult is mainly grey while the...
, a large stork-related bird classified as an endangered species
Endangered species
An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...
which is vulnerable because it nests on the ground and only has two offspring per year.
The environmental stress is caused by human settlement
Colonisation
Colonization occurs whenever any one or more species populate an area. The term, which is derived from the Latin colere, "to inhabit, cultivate, frequent, practice, tend, guard, respect", originally related to humans. However, 19th century biogeographers dominated the term to describe the...
and hunting (especially of the black lechwe), fishing, and cattle-grazing. Some of the chiefs of the area have attempted to regulate fishing and hunting, but many in the Bangweulu basin are affected by poverty and do not have viable alternatives to support themselves. Some former miners thrown out of work by the restructuring of the Copperbelt mines relocated to the area in the hope of supporting their families by exploiting the area's resources.
The wetlands today do not include a viable wildlife reserve
Nature reserve
A nature reserve is a protected area of importance for wildlife, flora, fauna or features of geological or other special interest, which is reserved and managed for conservation and to provide special opportunities for study or research...
. The Isangano National Park
Isangano National Park
Isangano National Park is a national park in the Northern Province of Zambia. It covers an area of 840 square kilometers. The park was declared a national park in 1972. It went into decline due to problems caused by human settlement and lack of funds. This has resulted in little wildlife and game...
in the north-east is defunct, having no management or protection. The Kasanka National Park
Kasanka National Park
Kasanka National Park is a park located in the Serenje District of Zambia’s Northern Province. At roughly 390km2, Kasanka is one of Zambia’s smallest national parks. Kasanka’s situation is interesting as it is the first of Zambia’s national parks to be privately managed...
about 50 km south of the wetland has a site called Shoebill Island Camp within the wetland and thus has a role in monitoring and protecting it, and in 2007 was the closest protected area
Protected area
Protected areas are locations which receive protection because of their recognised natural, ecological and/or cultural values. There are several kinds of protected areas, which vary by level of protection depending on the enabling laws of each country or the regulations of the international...
.