Banhine National Park is a protected area in the district of Chigubo

Chigubo District

Chigubo District is a district of Gaza Province in south-western Mozambique. It has a population of 20,685 .-Further reading:*...

, northern Gaza Province

Gaza Province

Gaza is a province of Mozambique. It has an area of 75,709 km² and a population of 1,333,106 .Xai-Xai is the capital of the province. Inhambane Province is to the east, Manica Province to the north, Maputo Province to the south, South Africa to the west, and Zimbabwe to the...

, Mozambique

Mozambique

Mozambique, officially the Republic of Mozambique , is a country in southeastern Africa bordered by the Indian Ocean to the east, Tanzania to the north, Malawi and Zambia to the northwest, Zimbabwe to the west and Swaziland and South Africa to the southwest...

.
The park was proclaimed on 26 June 1973.

Location

The park is 7000 square kilometres (2,702.7 sq mi) in area and holds extensive inland wetlands, acting as an important source of water to the dry lands that surround it.
The park is in an area that has annual rainfall of only 430 millimetres (16.9 in).
However, over 1% of the park is wetland and there are also more than a thousand pans that range in size from a few square meters to hundreds of hectares.
These pans may be very salty or "sweet" and drinkable.
The water comes from the area to the northwest near the Zimbabwe boundary, flowing through many channels into the wetlands and then into the Changane River

Changane River

The Changane River is a river in Mozambique, a tributary to the Limpopo River which it joins near the coast, just past the town of Chibuto. It forms part of the eastern boundary of Gaza Province.-Geography:...

.

Fauna

18 species of fish have been found in the park.
The African lungfish, two killifish species and two Barbel species have developed ways to deal with predictable periods of drought.
At times, the wetlands are completely dry on the surface.
The Banhine National Park used to be home to buffalo, sable, tsetsebe, hartebeest, zebra, and wildebeest.
Many of these animals were destroyed during the civil wars of the 1980s and early 1990s.
However, the park is still home to endangered 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...

s and to many migratory birds.
Results of an aerial survey in October 2004 showed that the park had healthy populations of ostrich, kudu, impala, reedbuck, duiker, steenbok, porcupine, warthog and oribi

Oribi

Oribi are graceful slender-legged, long-necked small antelope found in grassland almost throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.-Description:...

.

People

There is a small human population in the reserve, damaging the environment by slash-and-burn cultivation of maize, sorghum, cassava and sugar cane. With drought, the crops fail and the people revert to hunting and fishing, placing stress on the fauna.
The government is encouraging people to move out of the park by building permanent water sources outside of the reserve and giving incentives to those who move.

Plans

The Banhine, Zinave

Zinave National Park

The Zinave National Park is a protected area in Inhambane province, Mozambique, created by decree on 26 June 1973.-Land:The park extends to the south of the Save River in Inhambane province, covering an area of ....

 and Limpopo

Limpopo National Park

The Limpopo National Park was born when the status of Coutada 16 Wildlife Utilisation Area in Gaza Province, Mozambique, was changed from a hunting concession to a protected area....

 national parks in Mozambique, the Gonarezhou National Park

Gonarezhou National Park

Gonarezhou National Park is a National Park located in south-eastern Zimbabwe. It is situated in a relatively remote corner of Masvingo Province, south of Chimanimani along the Mozambique border. The park is a lowveld region of baobabs, scrublands and sandstone cliffs...

 in Zimbabwe and the Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park

Kruger National Park is one of the largest game reserves in Africa. It covers and extends from north to south and from east to west.To the west and south of the Kruger National Park are the two South African provinces of Limpopo and Mpumalanga. In the north is Zimbabwe, and to the east is...

 in South Africa are the basis for the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park

Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park

Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park is a 35,000 km² peace park that is in the process of being formed. It will link the Limpopo National Park in Mozambique, Kruger National Park in South Africa, Gonarezhou National Park, Manjinji Pan Sanctuary and Malipati Safari Area in Zimbabwe, as well as the...

, part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Conservation Area that will link the Drakensberg Mountains in the west to the Save River

Save River (Africa)

The Save is a 400km river of southeastern Africa, flowing through Zimbabwe and Mozambique. The river has its source in Zimbabwe, some 80 km south of Harare, then flows south and then east, from the Zimbabwean highveld to its confluence with the Odzi River...

 Estuary in the east.
The total protected area will exceed 95624 square kilometres (36,920.6 sq mi).

The Banhine National Park is being co-funded and administered by the African Wildlife Foundation

African Wildlife Foundation

The African Wildlife Foundation , founded in 1961 as the African Wildlife Leadership Foundation, is an international conservation organization that focuses on critically important landscapes in Africa....

(AWF), which has established international research camp in Banhine.
The park has been neglected, with little in the way of infrastructure or management.
The AWF has built a conservation research center, which it is marketing the international scientific community. Fees paid by researchers will be used to staff the center and manage the park.