Upemba National Park
Encyclopedia
Upemba National Park is a large park in the Katanga
province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Located in a lush area dotted by lakes, including the eponymous Lake Upemba
, and bordered by the Lualaba River
, its 11,730 km² dominates the Kibara Plateau.
The Upemba National Park was first established in 1939. It is home to some 1,800 different species, some of them discovered as late as 2003. There are also a handful of villages in the park. In recent years, the park has come under considerable attack from poachers and local militias. On 28 May 2004, for instance, the park headquarters in Lusinga came under attack by the Mai Mai militia
. Several wardens and their families were killed, the headquarters were burned down, and the family of the chief warden was taken hostage. As with much of the wildlife of the region, the park continues to be threatened by the activities of poachers, pollution and the activities of refugees and militia.
On 1 June 2005, the protectors of the park received the Abraham Conservation Award for their role in protecting the rich biodiversity of the Congo River
basin.
Lake Upemba
has a maximum depth reported to be only 3.2 meters and it is a site of intense algae growth. The watercourses of the region fluctuate according to the season and the water level in the lake is high from March to June and low from October to January. Many of the bodies of the water in the area are characterized by extensive swamps, with Papyrus
, Nile lettuce
and Water caltrop
among other species.
(also known as freshwater elephant fish), Barbus
, Alestidae, Mochokidae
and Cichlid
s.
Bird species include several threatened or endangered species, such as the Shoebill
, Wattled Crane
and Spotted Ground-thrush
.
Katanga Province
Katanga Province is one of the provinces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Between 1971 and 1997, its official name was Shaba Province. Under the new constitution, the province was to be replaced by four smaller provinces by February 2009; this did not actually take place.Katanga's regional...
province of the Democratic Republic of Congo. Located in a lush area dotted by lakes, including the eponymous Lake Upemba
Lake Upemba
Lake Upemba is a lake in Bukama, Haut-Lomami District, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It, and nearby Lake Kisale, is surrounded by the Upemba Depression in Upemba National Park...
, and bordered by the Lualaba River
Lualaba River
The Lualaba River is the greatest headstream of the Congo River by volume of water. However, by length the Chambeshi River is the farthest headstream. The Lualaba is 1800 km long, running from near Musofi in the vicinity of Lubumbashi in Katanga Province. The whole of its length lies within the...
, its 11,730 km² dominates the Kibara Plateau.
The Upemba National Park was first established in 1939. It is home to some 1,800 different species, some of them discovered as late as 2003. There are also a handful of villages in the park. In recent years, the park has come under considerable attack from poachers and local militias. On 28 May 2004, for instance, the park headquarters in Lusinga came under attack by the Mai Mai militia
Militia
The term militia is commonly used today to refer to a military force composed of ordinary citizens to provide defense, emergency law enforcement, or paramilitary service, in times of emergency without being paid a regular salary or committed to a fixed term of service. It is a polyseme with...
. Several wardens and their families were killed, the headquarters were burned down, and the family of the chief warden was taken hostage. As with much of the wildlife of the region, the park continues to be threatened by the activities of poachers, pollution and the activities of refugees and militia.
On 1 June 2005, the protectors of the park received the Abraham Conservation Award for their role in protecting the rich biodiversity of the Congo River
Congo River
The Congo River is a river in Africa, and is the deepest river in the world, with measured depths in excess of . It is the second largest river in the world by volume of water discharged, though it has only one-fifth the volume of the world's largest river, the Amazon...
basin.
Habitat
Upemba National Park is located between Latitude 9°5’ and 8°45’ South and Longitude 25°50’ and 27°10’ East. At the time of its creation on the 15th May 1939 the park had a surface area of 17,730km² and was the largest park in Africa. In July 1975, the limits were revised and today the integral park has an area of 10,000km² with an annex of a further 3,000km². The habitat of the park varies from grassland at higher altitudes, forests and woodland and lakes and wetlands.Lake Upemba
Lake Upemba
Lake Upemba is a lake in Bukama, Haut-Lomami District, the Democratic Republic of the Congo. It, and nearby Lake Kisale, is surrounded by the Upemba Depression in Upemba National Park...
has a maximum depth reported to be only 3.2 meters and it is a site of intense algae growth. The watercourses of the region fluctuate according to the season and the water level in the lake is high from March to June and low from October to January. Many of the bodies of the water in the area are characterized by extensive swamps, with Papyrus
Papyrus
Papyrus is a thick paper-like material produced from the pith of the papyrus plant, Cyperus papyrus, a wetland sedge that was once abundant in the Nile Delta of Egypt....
, Nile lettuce
Pistia
Pistia is a genus of aquatic plant in the arum family, Araceae. The single species it comprises, Pistia stratiotes, is often called water cabbage, water lettuce, or Nile cabbage. Its native distribution is uncertain, but probably pantropical; it was first described from the Nile near Lake Victoria...
and Water caltrop
Water caltrop
The water caltrop, water chestnut, buffalo nut, bat nut, devil pod or Singhara or Pani-fol is either of two species of the genus Trapa: Trapa natans and Trapa bicornis...
among other species.
Fauna
The system of lakes, rivers, swamps and wetlands supports a variety of fish fauna. This includes over 30 species of Cyprinidae, MormyridaeMormyridae
The family Mormyridae, sometimes called "elephantfish" , are freshwater fish in the order Osteoglossiformes native to Africa. It is by far the largest family in the order with around 200 species. Members of the family are popular, if challenging, aquarium species...
(also known as freshwater elephant fish), Barbus
Barbus
Barbus is a ray-finned fish genus in the family Cyprinidae. The type species of Barbus is the Common Barbel, first described as Cyprinus barbus and now named Barbus barbus...
, Alestidae, Mochokidae
Mochokidae
The Mochokidae are a family of catfishes that are known as the squeakers and upside-down catfish. There are 10 genera and about 188 species of mochokids. All the mochokids are freshwater species originating from Africa....
and Cichlid
Cichlid
Cichlids are fishes from the family Cichlidae in the order Perciformes. Cichlids are members of a group known as the Labroidei along with the wrasses , damselfish , and surfperches . This family is both large and diverse. At least 1,300 species have been scientifically described, making it one of...
s.
Bird species include several threatened or endangered species, such as 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...
, 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...
and Spotted Ground-thrush
Spotted Ground-thrush
The Spotted Ground-thrush is a species of bird in the Turdidae family.It is found in Democratic Republic of the Congo, Kenya, Malawi, South Africa, Sudan, Tanzania, and possibly Mozambique.-Description:...
.