Kafue Flats
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De Kafue Flats (wey dem locally bell am Butwa[1]) be a vast area of swamp, open lagoon den seasonally inundated flood-plain for de Kafue River top for de Southern insyd, Central den Lusaka provinces of Zambia. Dem be a shallow flood plain 240 km (150 mi) long den about 50 km (31 mi) wide,[2] wey flood to a depth of less dan a meter for de rainy season insyd (deeper for sam lagoons den permanently swampy areas insyd), den e dry out to a clayey black soil for de dry season season.
Geography
[edit | edit source]De Kafue Flats dey stretch give approximately 240 km (150 mi) east to west along de Kafue River from below de Itezhi-Tezhi gap, site of de Itezhi-Tezhi Dam, to Kafue town den de start of de Kafue Gorge. At demma widest point dem be 50 km (31 mi) wide, den demma total area dey around 6,500 km2 (2,500 sq mi). De elevation of de Kafue River dey fall 40 m (130 ft) along de flats from 1,030 m (3,380 ft) at Itezhi-Tezhi to 990 m (3,250 ft) at Kafue town.
De town of Mazabuka den de Nakambala sugar estate dey lie for de southeast edge top den dem situate de small town of Namwala at de southwest edge of de flats.
De Kafue Flats dey fall within parts of de Itezhi-Tezhi den Mumbwa Districts forCentral Province, Kafue District insyd for Lusaka Province insyd den Monze, Namwala den Mazabuka districts for Southern Province insyd.
Pippoe
[edit | edit source]Dem think de Batwa (anaa Twa) already to get de first inhabitants of de Kafue Flats area but rydee be a small minority population wey settle for higher ground top around de Kafue River channel wey dem support demselves thru fishing. Dem generally consider de Batwa to be de surviving remnants of nomadic Bushmen wey inhabit Zambia long before de Bantu pippoe begin to arrive from de Congo Basin to de north.[3]
Dem rydee dominate de area by Ila den Balundwe (anaa Lundwe, anaa Plateau Tonga) farmers den cattle herders, for at least 21 chieftaincies insyd,[4] wey cam to de area between 200 den 300 years ago. Dem depend for farming, fishing, cattle rearing den wildlife top, wey dey often move between a fixed settlement for de woodlands insyd den cattle camps for de flats insyd after de floods recede. In addition to de settled community dem sanso be a seasonal influx of fishing communities from oda parts of de country. Dem immigrants mostly be Bemba from de north of de country den de Copperbelt area, den Lozi from de Western Province.[5]
De population increase significantly since de 1970s den by 2004 der at least 11 major permanent fishing camps for de flats top each of wey dem occupy am by at least 500 fishermen. In addition, der dey a large number of temporary fishing camps wey dem establish during de dry season.[6]
For sam cases insyd, dem marginalise de Batwa from oda ethnic groups, particularly de Bemba den de Lozi fishermen wey consider dem inferior. By contrast dem hold de Ila for high regard insyd by oda groups sekof demma history of being one of de richest cattle-owning groups for de region insyd, although fishing den hunting dey play an equally significant role for demma culture insyd.[6]
Hydrology den dams
[edit | edit source]Dem already alter de hydrology of de Kafue River den Kafue Flats have significantly by de construction for de 1970s insyd of two dams, firstly at Kafue Gorge downstream of de flats den at Itezhi-Tezhi upstream of de flats as parts of a scheme to generate hydroelectric power.
De Kafue Gorge Dam, plus 600MW of hydroelectric power generation, dem plete am for 1972 insyd wey e create a reservoir downstream of de Kafue Flats plus a storage capacity of 785 million m3. To enable more power generation (up to 900 MW) anoda 65m high dam at Itezhi-Tezhi, upstream of de Kafue Flats, wey dem plete am for 1976 insyd. De reservoir dey store 5,700 million m3 of water den dey cover a 370 km2 (140 sq mi) area of de Kafue River den ein tributary de Musa River.[7]
De Itezhi-Tezhi Dam dey store water during de wet season wey e then release give de turbines at de Kafue Gorge Dam den power station during de dry season. Water dey take approximately eight weeks to travel between Itezhi-tezhi den Kafue Gorge.
Prior to construction of de dam at Itezhi-Tezhi, flooding of de Kafue Flats be de result of high flows within de Kafue River wey e begin to rise wey e follow de onset of de rains for November to December insyd den plus de peak flood wey e occur samtime between April den May. De flats do subsequently slowly drain plus very little surface water wey e remain by October to November de following year.[8]
Releases from Itezhi-Tezhi dam dey very different to de historical flows wey dem experience within de Kafue River plus de smooth annual rise den fall for discharge insyd wey dem already replace am by sudden increases as dem release large volumes of water from de dam. A substantial discharge rydee dem maintain am thruout de dry season whereas naturally dem associate dis period plus lower river flows. Although dem go fi already reduce maximum floods as a result of de dam, de almost year-round dey release means dat parts of de flats, for instance Chunga Lagoon, rydee e remain permanently flooded. In addition, de Kafue Gorge Dam create a large reservoir wey e back up into de eastern end of de flats wey e lead to areas of permanent inundation.[8]
Protected areas
[edit | edit source]De Kafue Flats dey include two national parks (IUCN Category II protected areas), de Lochinvar den Blue Lagoon National Parks. Dem establish both parks for de 1970s insyd for land wey dem formerly use give cattle ranching top. De 428 km2 (165 sq mi) Lochinvar National Park, famous give large nombas of Kafue lechwe, wey dey sit south of de Kafue River den e be accessible from de Lusaka-Livingstone road at Monze.[9] Lochinvar National Park get one of de highest nombas of vulnerable wattled crane for Africa insyd.[10]
Blue Lagoon National Park, north of de Kafue, dem fi access am from de Lusaka-Mongu road west of Lusaka. De 500 km2 (190 sq mi) park be home to a large abundance den variety of waterbirds as well as lechwe, sitatunga, zebra den African buffalo.[11]
6,000 square kilometres (2,300 sq mi) of de Kafue Flats outsyd of dem cover de two national parks by de Kafue Flats Game Management Area (GMA) (IUCN Category VI protected area). De GMA dey afford protection to de environment den wildlife whilst still e dey allow give de sustainable use of natural resources.
Dem enter de Kafue Flats onto de Ramsar list of Wetlands of International Importance for 1991 insyd wey e cover an area of 6,000 km2 (2,300 sq mi) coincident plus de Kafue Flats GMA.[12]
Agriculture
[edit | edit source]De land around de Kafue Flats be an important agricultural area for Zambia insyd. As well as supporting a large number of subsistence den small-scale farmers, de flats sanso be a source of irrigation water give three large commercial farming operations wey concentrate around de eastern end of de flats.
De oldest commercial farming operation for de Kafue Flats top be de Nakambala Sugar Estate wey dem locate am for de southern edge of de flats top at Mazabuka. De Nakambala estate, wey Zambia Sugar Plc a subsidiary of South African company Illovo Sugar own am, along plus outgrowers den smallholder farmers be de largest sugar producer for Zambia insyd den dem operate am for approximately 20,000 hectares of irrigated farmland top.[13]
North of de Kafue Flats, Consolidated Farming Ltd., a Zambian company, dey produce sugar under de Kafue Sugar brand from a 9,000-hectare estate pumping water from de Kafue Flats.[14] To de east of Consolidated Farming, de Chiansi irrigation scheme dey grow wheat den oda irrigated crops for 200 hectares top plus plans to expand to 2,500 hectares.
Ecology
[edit | edit source]De Kafue Flats dey consist of a complex pattern of floodplain, lagoons, ox-bow lakes, wey dey abandon river channels, marshes den levees wey grasslands den woodlands surround am.
De flats dey comprise two ecoregions. De central seasonally- den permanently flooded areas be part of de Zambezian flooded grasslands ecoregion, den de surrounding grasslands de woodlands be for de Zambezian den mopane woodlands ecoregion insyd.
De soils of de flats dey heavy for texture insyd den dey tend to crack widely wen dry, wey e becam very sticky den plastic wen wet. Dem soils be mainly black anaa dark gray den produce an irregular surface relief known as gilgai wey e consist of a series of small ridges wey dey stand 20–60 cm above circular depressions about 2–7 meters for diameter insyd.[10]
Vegetation
[edit | edit source]De main vegetation types of de Kafue Flats be woodland (miombo, mopane, Acacia, den Combretum), termitaria grassland, flooded grasslands, permanent swamps den levees den lagoons.
Wildlife
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De Kafue lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis), an antelope wey dem specialise give dey live for de marshy conditions of de flats insyd, be endemic to de area. Dem estimate dem to be 250,000 lechwe wey dey live for de Kafue Flats for 1931 insyd, one of de highest animals wey dey carry capacities for de world insyd at 11,000 kg/km2 (63,000 lb/sq mi).[15]
By 2005 dem estimate de nomba of lechwe to already fall to 38,000, a nomba wey remain mostly stable until de next census wey dem plete am for 2009 insyd.[16] Dem already attribute de declining nombas of Kafue lechwe to de building of de Itezhi-Tezhi Dam den subsequent change for intensity den timing of flooding insyd as well as illegal poaching den de pressures of rising nombas of pippoe den cattle.[16]
Along plus lechwe, Grant's zebras be de dominant species of large mammal wey dem find for de flats insyd. Blue wildebeest, Cape buffalo, roan, greater kudu, hippo dey present for limited nombas insyd particularly for den around de Lochinvar insyd den Blue Lagoon National Parks.[10]
Birds
[edit | edit source]De Kafue Flats area dey support more dan 450 species of threatened, endangered den migratory bird species[10] den dem designate de area an Important Bird den Biodiversity Area (IBA) by Birdlife International.[17] De flats be home to large concentrations of resident den migratory waterbirds wey dey include significant breeding colonies deep within de swamps. De flats sanso dey host a high diversity den density of breeding raptors particularly vultures.[18]
De flats be an extremely important habitat give de wattled crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) wey dem list am for de IUCN Red List insyd as vulnerable.[19] Nombas of wattled crane for de flats insyd drop from between 2000 den 3000 for de 1970s insyd to less dan 1000 by 2002.[18] Oda important species wey dem find for de Kafue Flats dey include de crowned crane, slaty egret, lappet faced vulture, lesser kestrel den corn crake.[18]
Threats to de bird life of de Kafue Flats dey include changes to de intensity den timing of floods wey de dam upstream at Itezhi-Tezhi cause am, de spread of invasive weed species den de impact of increasing human populations.[18]
References
[edit | edit source]- ↑ 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.
- ↑ "Kafue Flats". earth.google.com. 2026. Retrieved 2026-06-24.
- ↑ Kashoki, Mubanga E.; Sirarpi Ohannessian, eds. (1978). Language in Zambia. London: International African Institute. 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.
- ↑ Merten, Sonja; Haller, Tobias (2008). "Property rights, food security and child growth: Dynamics of insecurity in the Kafue Flats of Zambia". Food Policy. 33 (5): 434–443. doi:10.1016/j.foodpol.2008.01.004.
- 1 2 Chabwela, Harry; Haller, Tobias (2010). "Governance issues, potentials and failures of participatory collective action in the Kafue Flats, Zambia". International Journal of the Commons. 4 (2): 621. doi:10.18352/ijc.189. hdl:10535/1439. Archived from the original on 2015-07-17. Retrieved 2015-07-16.
- ↑ Obrdlik, P; Mumeka, A; Kasonde, J.M. (1989). "Regulated Rivers in Zambia - The Case Study of the Kafue River". Regulated Rivers: Research and Management. 3: 371–380. doi:10.1002/rrr.3450030135.
- 1 2 Mumba, M; Thompson, J.R. (2005). "Hydrological and ecological impacts of dams on the Kafue Flats floodplain system, southern Zambia". Physics and Chemistry of the Earth. 30 (6–7): 442–447. Bibcode:2005PCE....30..442M. doi:10.1016/j.pce.2005.06.009.
- ↑ "Lochinvar National Park". zambiatourism.com. Zambia Tourism. Retrieved 30 August 2014.
- 1 2 3 4 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. Archived from the original on 2025-04-21. Retrieved 2026-06-15.
- ↑ Schuster, Richard (1980). "Will the Kafue Lechwe Survive the Kafue Dams?". Oryx. 15 (5): 476–489. doi:10.1017/s0030605300029203.
- 1 2 Chansa, Wilbroad; Kampamba, George (2010). "The population status of the Kafue lechwe in the Kafue Flats, Zambia". African Journal of Ecology. 48 (3): 837–840. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2028.2009.01188.x.
- ↑ "Important Bird Areas factsheet: Kafue Flats". birdlife.org. Birdlife International. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
- 1 2 3 4 Leonard, Peter (2005). Important bird areas in Zambia: priority sites for conservation. Lusaka: Zambian Ornithological Society. ISBN 9982-811-01-0.
- ↑ BirdLife International (2018). "Bugeranus carunculatus". IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. 2018 e.T22692129A129880815. doi:10.2305/IUCN.UK.2018-2.RLTS.T22692129A129880815.en. Retrieved 9 January 2024.
External links
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