Zambezian flooded grasslands
Encyclopedia
The Zambezian flooded grasslands is an ecoregion
of southern and eastern Africa
that is rich in wildlife.
The Zambezian flooded grasslands can be found on seasonally or permanently flooded lowlands in the basin of the Zambezi
and neighboring river basins. These enclaves lie in the broad belt of dry and not very fertile Miombo and Mopane savannas and woodlands that extend east and west across Africa, in broad band from northern Botswana
and Namibia
in the west to Tanzania
and Mozambique
in the east.
Large enclaves of flooded grassland include:
The region has a tropical climate with a hot wet summer between November and March.
, wildebeest
, and elephant
s, zebra
s, and giraffe
s, with hippopotamus
and crocodile
s in the waters. There are many antelopes such as Waterbuck
s, Puku
s, Eland
s, and Lechwe
, the Bangwelu Swamp in particular being home to Black Lechwe (Kobus leche smithermani), Tsessebe, and Sitatunga
while the Kafue Flats have large groups of Kafue Lechwe and Burchell's zebra
.
The large numbers of birds, especially waterbirds, in the floodplains include Saddle-billed Stork
s. There are two endemic reptiles; the Merera Toad (Amietophrynus reesi
) in the Kilombero valley, and the Barotse Water Snake (Crotaphopeltis barotseensis).
and the swampy water the floodplains have long been home to rural communities, such as the Lozi people
in the Barotse Floodplain and the Tonga
in the Kafue Flats, but are mostly unspoilt and large areas are protected. However, wildlife is still vulnerable to poaching and illegal farming or grazing of livestock. Meanwhile as the population in this part of Africa is continually growing demand for water and farmland places the floodplains under constant threat as land is polluted or farmed, grassland set on fire and rivers are dammed or diverted. The Kafue Flats have been drastically changed by the damming of the river and similar projects are planned for the Okavango.
Protected areas include the Okavango Delta, the Bangweulu, Moyowosi and Kilombero swamps and the Kafue Flats and in addition Lake Chilwa is a Ramsar
birding area. Of these Okavango is the largest and best-known, being mostly within the Moremi Game Reserve, having spectacular wildlife and a well-developed safari industry based in the town of Maun
. In Zambia Lochinvar
and Blue Lagoon National Park
s and the Bangweulu Swamp are protected.
Ecoregion
An ecoregion , sometimes called a bioregion, is an ecologically and geographically defined area that is smaller than an ecozone and larger than an ecosystem. Ecoregions cover relatively large areas of land or water, and contain characteristic, geographically distinct assemblages of natural...
of southern and eastern Africa
Africa
Africa is the world's second largest and second most populous continent, after Asia. At about 30.2 million km² including adjacent islands, it covers 6% of the Earth's total surface area and 20.4% of the total land area...
that is rich in wildlife.
Setting
Zambezi
The Zambezi is the fourth-longest river in Africa, and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. The area of its basin is , slightly less than half that of the Nile...
and neighboring river basins. These enclaves lie in the broad belt of dry and not very fertile Miombo and Mopane savannas and woodlands that extend east and west across Africa, in broad band from northern Botswana
Botswana
Botswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966...
and Namibia
Namibia
Namibia, officially the Republic of Namibia , is a country in southern Africa whose western border is the Atlantic Ocean. It shares land borders with Angola and Zambia to the north, Botswana to the east and South Africa to the south and east. It gained independence from South Africa on 21 March...
in the west to Tanzania
Tanzania
The United Republic of Tanzania is a country in East Africa bordered by Kenya and Uganda to the north, Rwanda, Burundi, and the Democratic Republic of the Congo to the west, and Zambia, Malawi, and Mozambique to the south. The country's eastern borders lie on the Indian Ocean.Tanzania is a state...
and 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...
in the east.
Large enclaves of flooded grassland include:
- KilomberoKilomberoKilombero is the name of a river and a district in Morogoro Region, south-western Tanzania.The district is situated in a vast floodplain, between the Kilombero river in the south-east and the Udzungwa-Mountains in the north-west...
Valley in southern Tanzania - Moyowosi-MalagarasiMalagarasi RiverThe Malagarasi River is Tanzania's second longest river. It empties into the eastern side of Lake Tanganyika about 25 miles south of Kigoma, and is one of the lake's primary inflows. The Malagarasi pre-dates Lake Tanganyika and was formerly a tributary of the Congo River to its west...
floodplain in central Tanzania - along the Ugalla River floodplain in Tanzania
- The Okavango DeltaOkavango DeltaThe Okavango Delta , in Botswana, is the world's largest inland delta. It is formed where the Okavango River empties onto a swamp in an endorheic basin in the Kalahari Desert, where most of the water is lost to evaporation and transpiration instead of draining into the sea...
in BotswanaBotswanaBotswana, officially the Republic of Botswana , is a landlocked country located in Southern Africa. The citizens are referred to as "Batswana" . Formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland, Botswana adopted its new name after becoming independent within the Commonwealth on 30 September 1966... - around Lake ChilwaLake ChilwaLake Chilwa is the second-largest lake in Malawi after Lake Malawi. It is in eastern Zomba District, near the border with Mozambique. Approximately 60 km long and 40 km wide, the lake is surrounded by extensive wetlands....
in MalawiMalawiThe Republic of Malawi is a landlocked country in southeast Africa that was formerly known as Nyasaland. It is bordered by Zambia to the northwest, Tanzania to the northeast, and Mozambique on the east, south and west. The country is separated from Tanzania and Mozambique by Lake Malawi. Its size... - The Barotse FloodplainBarotse FloodplainThe Barotse Floodplain also known as the Bulozi Plain, Lyondo or the Zambezi Floodplain is one of Africa's great wetlands, on the Zambezi River in the Western Province of Zambia...
, Kafue Flats, Busanga Swamp, and Lukanga SwampLukanga SwampLukanga Swamp is a major wetland in the Central Province of Zambia, about 50 km west of Kabwe. Its permanently swampy area consists of a roughly circular area with a diameter of 40 to 50 km covering 1850 km², plus roughly 250 km² in the mouths of and along rivers discharging...
in the Zambezi basin of ZambiaZambiaZambia , 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....
. - The upper Chambeshi RiverChambeshi RiverThe Chambeshi River of northeastern Zambia is the most remote headstream of the Congo River and therefore considered its source...
, Bangweulu Swamp, and Mweru Marsh in Zambia.
The region has a tropical climate with a hot wet summer between November and March.
Flora
These patches of wetland contain grassland and swamp vegetation which varies from area to area within this widely spread ecoregion.Fauna
Even during the dry season the floodplains sustain a great deal of wildlife including grazing African BuffaloAfrican 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...
, wildebeest
Wildebeest
The wildebeest , also called the gnu is an antelope of the genus Connochaetes. It is a hooved mammal...
, and elephant
Elephant
Elephants are large land mammals in two extant genera of the family Elephantidae: Elephas and Loxodonta, with the third genus Mammuthus extinct...
s, zebra
Zebra
Zebras are several species of African equids united by their distinctive black and white stripes. Their stripes come in different patterns unique to each individual. They are generally social animals that live in small harems to large herds...
s, and giraffe
Giraffe
The giraffe is an African even-toed ungulate mammal, the tallest of all extant land-living animal species, and the largest ruminant...
s, with 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 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...
s in the waters. There are many antelopes such as Waterbuck
Waterbuck
The Waterbuck is a large antelope found widely in Sub-Saharan Africa.Waterbuck stand at the shoulder. Males weigh and females . Their coats are reddish brown in colour and become progressively darker with age; they have a white 'bib' under their throats and white on their rumps...
s, Puku
Puku
The Puku is an antelope found in wet grasslands in southern Democratic Republic of Congo, in Namibia and in Zambia.Puku stand about 80 centimetres at the shoulder and weigh from 70 to 80 kilograms. Puku are sandy brown in colour, the underbelly is a slightly lighter brown...
s, Eland
Common Eland
The common eland , also known as the southern eland or eland antelope, is a savannah and plains antelope found in East and Southern Africa. It is the largest antelope in the African continent...
s, and Lechwe
Lechwe
The Lechwe, or Southern Lechwe, is an antelope found in Botswana, Zambia, south-eastern Democratic Republic of the Congo, north-eastern Namibia, and eastern Angola, especially in the Okavango Delta, Kafue Flats and Bangweulu Swamps....
, the Bangwelu Swamp in particular being home to Black Lechwe (Kobus leche smithermani), Tsessebe, and 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...
while the Kafue Flats have large groups of Kafue Lechwe and Burchell's zebra
Burchell's Zebra
Burchell's Zebra is a southern subspecies of the Plains Zebra.-Range:Formerly Burchell's zebra ranged north of the Vaal/Orange river system, extending northwest via southern Botswana to Etosha and the Kaokoveld, southeast to Swaziland and Kwazulu-Natal...
.
The large numbers of birds, especially waterbirds, in the floodplains include 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...
s. There are two endemic reptiles; the Merera Toad (Amietophrynus reesi
Amietophrynus reesi
Amietophrynus reesi is a species of toad in the Bufonidae family.It is endemic to Tanzania.Its natural habitats are moist savanna, subtropical or tropical seasonally wet or flooded lowland grassland, swamps, intermittent freshwater lakes, and intermittent freshwater marshes.It is threatened by...
) in the Kilombero valley, and the Barotse Water Snake (Crotaphopeltis barotseensis).
Threats and preservation
Despite the tsetse flyTsetse fly
Tsetse , sometimes spelled tzetze and also known as tik-tik flies, are large biting flies that inhabit much of mid-continental Africa between the Sahara and the Kalahari deserts. They live by feeding on the blood of vertebrate animals and are the primary biological vectors of trypanosomes, which...
and the swampy water the floodplains have long been home to rural communities, such as the Lozi people
Lozi people
The Lozi people are an ethnic group primarily of western Zambia, inhabiting the region of Barotseland. Lozi are also found in Namibia , Angola and Botswana.-Name:...
in the Barotse Floodplain and the Tonga
Tonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe
The Tonga people of Zambia and Zimbabwe are a Bantu ethnic group of southern Zambia and neighbouring northern Zimbabwe, and to a lesser extent, in Mozambique. They are related to the Batoka who are part of the Tokaleya people in the same area, and also to the Tonga people of Malawi...
in the Kafue Flats, but are mostly unspoilt and large areas are protected. However, wildlife is still vulnerable to poaching and illegal farming or grazing of livestock. Meanwhile as the population in this part of Africa is continually growing demand for water and farmland places the floodplains under constant threat as land is polluted or farmed, grassland set on fire and rivers are dammed or diverted. The Kafue Flats have been drastically changed by the damming of the river and similar projects are planned for the Okavango.
Protected areas include the Okavango Delta, the Bangweulu, Moyowosi and Kilombero swamps and the Kafue Flats and in addition Lake Chilwa is a Ramsar
Ramsar
Ramsar is a city in and the capital of Ramsar County, Mazandaran Province, Iran. At the 2006 census, its population was 31,659, in 9,421 families....
birding area. Of these Okavango is the largest and best-known, being mostly within the Moremi Game Reserve, having spectacular wildlife and a well-developed safari industry based in the town of Maun
Maun
Maun is the fifth largest town in Botswana. As of 2001, it had a population of 43,776. It is an eclectic mix of modern buildings and native huts. Maun is the "tourism capital" of Botswana and the administrative centre of Ngamiland district...
. In Zambia Lochinvar
Lochinvar National Park
The Lochinvar National Park lies south west of Lusaka in Zambia, on the south side of the Kafue River.The national park straddles two of Zambia's ecoregions: Zambezian and Mopane woodlands in the south, and Zambezian flooded grasslands over most of the park...
and Blue Lagoon National Park
Blue Lagoon National Park
Blue Lagoon National Park is a small wildlife haven in the northern part of the Kafue Flats in Zambia's Central Province. It covers about 500 km² and is very accessible, being about 100 km west of Lusaka .-Ecology and wildlife:...
s and the Bangweulu Swamp are protected.