Kafue Flats
Designations | |
---|---|
Designated | 28 August 1991 |
Reference no. | 530[1] |
The Kafue Flats (locally called Butwa
Geography
The Kafue Flats stretch for approximately 240 km (150 mi) east to west along the Kafue River from below the Itezhi-Tezhi gap, site of the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam, to Kafue town and the start of the Kafue Gorge. At their widest point they are 50 km (31 mi) wide, and their total area is around 6,500 km2 (2,500 sq mi). The elevation of the Kafue River falls 40 m (130 ft) along the flats from 1,030 m (3,380 ft) at Itezhi-Tezhi to 990 m (3,250 ft) at Kafue town.
The town of Mazabuka and the Nakambala sugar estate lie on the southeast edge and the small town of Namwala is situated at the southwest edge of the flats.
The Kafue Flats fall within parts of the
.People
The
The area is now dominated by Ila and Balundwe (or Lundwe, or Plateau Tonga) farmers and cattle herders, in at least 21 chieftaincies,[5] who came to the area between 200 and 300 years ago. They depended on farming, fishing, cattle rearing and wildlife, often moving between a fixed settlement in the woodlands and cattle camps in the flats after the floods have receded. In addition to the settled community there is also a seasonal influx of fishing communities from other parts of the country. These immigrants are mostly Bemba from the north of the country and the Copperbelt area, and Lozi from the Western Province.[6]
The population has increased significantly since the 1970s and by 2004 there were at least 11 major permanent fishing camps on the flats each of which was occupied by at least 500 fishermen. In addition, there were a large number of temporary fishing camps established during the dry season.[7]
In some cases, the Batwa are marginalised from other ethnic groups, particularly the Bemba and the Lozi fishermen who consider them inferior. By contrast the Ila are held in high regard by other groups due to their history of being one of the richest cattle-owning groups in the region, although fishing and hunting plays an equally significant role in their culture.[7]
Hydrology and dams
The hydrology of the
The
The
Prior to construction of the dam at Itezhi-Tezhi, flooding of the Kafue Flats was the result of high flows within the Kafue River beginning to rise following the onset of the rains in November to December and with the peak flood occurring sometime between April and May. The flats would subsequently slowly drain with very little surface water remaining by October to November the following year.[9]
Releases from Itezhi-Tezhi dam are very different to the historical flows experienced within the Kafue River with the smooth annual rise and fall in discharge being replaced by sudden increases as large volumes of water are released from the dam. A substantial discharge is now maintained throughout the dry season whereas naturally this period is associated with lower river flows. Although maximum floods may have been reduced as a result of the dam, the almost year-round releases means that parts of the flats, for instance Chunga Lagoon, now remain permanently flooded. In addition, the Kafue Gorge Dam has created a large reservoir which back up into the eastern end of the flats leading to areas of permanent inundation.[9]
Protected areas
The Kafue Flats include two
Blue Lagoon National Park, north of the Kafue, can be accessed from the Lusaka-Mongu road west of Lusaka. The 500 km2 (190 sq mi) park is home to a large abundance and variety of waterbirds as well as lechwe, sitatunga, zebra and African buffalo.[12]
6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq mi) of the Kafue Flats outside of the two national parks are covered by the Kafue Flats Game Management Area (GMA)(
The Kafue Flats were entered onto the Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance in 1991 covering an area of 6,000 km2 (2,300 sq mi) coincident with the Kafue Flats GMA.[13]
Agriculture
The land around the Kafue Flats are an important agricultural area in Zambia. As well as supporting a large number of subsistence and small-scale farmers, the flats are also a source of irrigation water for three large commercial farming operations concentrated around the eastern end of the flats.
The oldest commercial farming operation on the Kafue Flats is the
North of the Kafue Flats, Consolidated Farming Ltd., a Zambian company, produces sugar under the Kafue Sugar brand from a 9,000-hectare estate pumping water from the Kafue Flats.[15] To the east of Consolidated Farming, the Chiansi irrigation scheme grows wheat and other irrigated crops on 200 hectares with plans to expand to 2,500 hectares.
Ecology
The Kafue Flats consists of a complex pattern of
surrounded by grasslands and woodlands.The flats comprise two ecoregions. The central seasonally- and permanently flooded areas are part of the Zambezian flooded grasslands ecoregion, and the surrounding grasslands and woodlands are in the Zambezian and mopane woodlands ecoregion.
The soils of the flats are heavy in texture and tend to crack widely when dry, becoming very sticky and plastic when wet. These soils are mainly black or dark gray and produce an irregular surface relief known as gilgai consisting of a series of small ridges standing 20–60 cm above circular depressions about 2–7 meters in diameter.[11]
Vegetation
The main vegetation types of the Kafue Flats are
Wildlife
The Kafue lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis), an antelope specialised for living in the marshy conditions of the flats,[16] is endemic to the area. There were estimated to be 250,000 lechwe living on the Kafue Flats in 1931, one of the highest animals carrying capacities in the world at 11,000 kg/km2 (63,000 lb/sq mi).[16]
By 2005 the number of lechwe was estimated to have fallen to 38,000, a number which remained mostly stable until the next census completed in 2009.[17] The declining numbers of Kafue lechwe has been attributed to the building of the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam and subsequent change in intensity and timing of flooding as well as illegal poaching and the pressures of rising numbers of people and cattle.[17]
Along with lechwe,
Birds
The Kafue Flats area supports more than 450 species of threatened, endangered and migratory bird species
The flats are an extremely important habitat for the
Threats to the bird life of the Kafue Flats include changes to the intensity and timing of floods caused by the dam upstream at Itezhi-Tezhi, the spread of invasive weed species and the impact of increasing human populations.[19]
References
- ^ "Kafue Flats". Ramsar Sites Information Service. Retrieved 25 April 2018.
- ^ Sorensen, Carol (1995). "Controls and Sanctions over the Use of Resources In the Kafue Flats of Zambia". Presented at the International Association for the Study of Common Property Fifth Common Property Conference 24–28 May 1995 at Bode, Norway.
- ^ Google Earth accessed 1 September 2014.
- ISBN 0-85302-054-X.
- ^ Lungu, A; Husken, S.M.C. (2008). Field study: assessing migration and mobility patterns, access to health services and vulnerabilities of female fish traders in the Kafue Flats fishery, Zambia: research design report. World Fish Center.
- .
- ^ hdl:10535/1439.
- .
- ^ .
- ^ "Lochinvar National Park". zambiatourism.com. Zambia Tourism. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ a b c d Zambia Wildlife Authority (2006). Information Sheet on Ramsar Wetlands - Fafue Flats (PDF) (Report). Ramsar. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ^ "Blue Lagoon National Park". zambiatourism.com. Zambia Tourism. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- ^ "The Annotated Ramsar List: Zambia". ramsar.org. The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Retrieved 23 August 2014.
- ^ Zambia Sugar Plc Annual Report 2014 (PDF) (Report). Zambia Sugar Plc. 2014. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-03-04. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ^ "Commercial Farming". sabletransport.com. Sable Transport.
- ^ .
- ^ .
- ^ "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Kafue Flats". birdlife.org. Birdlife International. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- ^ ISBN 9982-811-01-0.
- . Retrieved 9 January 2024.