WETLANDS IN ZAMBIA By Chipango Kamboyi

Wetlands are habitats that fall somewhere on the environmental spectrum between land and water. Since wetlands lie at the interface of terrestrial and aquatic habitats, they possess a unique mixture of species, conditions, and interactions. As a result, wetlands are among our planet's most diverse and varied habitats.

Wetlands are defined by the soils, hydrology, and species that occur within them. Wetland soils, also known as hydric soils, are shaped by water. These soils are saturated or even submerged all or part of the year. Hydric soils vary depending on the composition of the soil and water in the area and therefore, wetlands vary greatly throughout the world.

EXAMPLES OF SOME WETLANDS IN ZAMBIA (major)

1. Bangweulu Wetlands ecosystem 

This covers a large area displaying great biodiversity. It comprises the Bangweulu Swamps and associated grassy floodplain in the northern part of Zambia, surrounding most of Lake Bangweulu excluding its western part. However, with the ever increasing changes in global climate, the wetland is under serious environmental stress and in need of effective conservation strategies and policies. 

2. Barotse Floodplain

Also known as the Bulozi Plain, Lyondo or the Zambezi Floodplain is one of Africa's vast wetlands. The name recognizes the floodplain as spawning the culture and way of life of the Lozi people, "Rotse" being an alternative of Lozi, and "Ba" meaning "people". They became a powerful kingdom in Central/Southern Africa under their Litunga(King), Lewanika, whose realm extended up to 300 km from the plain and was called Barotseland.

These wetlands are found on the Zambezi River in the Western Province of Zambia. And because of its rich reserves of biodiversity it is a designated Ramsar site, regarded as being of high conservation value.

3. Lukanga Swamp 

Is a major wetland in the Central Province of Zambia and stretches over a distance of about 50 km west of Kabwe. It is a permanent swampy area and consists of an area (circular) with a diameter of 40 to 50 km covering 1850 km², plus a roughly 250 km² in the mouths of and along rivers discharging into it such as the Lukanga River from the north-east, plus another 500 km² either side of the Kafue River to the west and north-west, making 2600 km² in total. It contains many lagoons such as Lake Chiposhye and Lake Suye but few large channels, and its average depth is only 1.5 m.

4. Dambo

This is a word used for a class of complex shallow wetlands in central, southern and eastern Africa, particularly in Zambia (estimated to comprise 12.5% of the area) and Zimbabwe. Similar African words include mbuga (commonly used in East Africa), matoro (Mashonaland), vlei (South Africa), fadama (Nigeria), and bolis (Sierra Leone); the French bas-fond and German Spültäl have also been suggested as referring to similar grassy wetlands. Dambos are characterized by grasses, rushes and sedges, having clear cut differences with surrounding woodland such as Miombo woodland. They may be substantially dry at the end of the dry season, revealing grey soils or black clays, but unlike flooded grassland, they retain wet lines of drainage through the dry season. They are waterlogged (inundated) in the wet season but not generally above the height of the vegetation and any open water surface is usually confined to streams, rivers and small ponds or lagoons at the lowest point, generally near the center.

FUNCTIONS AND IMPORTANCE OF WETLANDS

Wetlands are highly productive communities and provide habitat and food resources for a wide range of species. Wetlands have a high level of nutrients and coupled with the availability of water they provide ideal habitat for fish, amphibians, shellfish, and insects. Additionally, many birds and mammals rely on wetlands for food, water, breeding grounds, and shelter. 

The wetlands are also known for wildlife including the near-endemic black lechwe, tsessebe, reedbuck, oribi, sitatunga, elephant, African buffalo, crocodile, hippopotamus, and many kinds of birds such as pelican, spoonbill, flamingo, shoebill, wattled crane, saddle-billed stork, spur-winged goose, sacred ibis, glossy ibis, black-crowned night heron, white-fronted bee-eater,swamp flycatcher, rosy-throated longclaw, Fuelleborn's longclaw, Denham’s bustard and numerous waterfowl and many other birds.

Wetlands are also one of the few breeding grounds of the shoebill, a large stork-related bird classified as an endangered species which is vulnerable because it nests on the ground and only has two offspring per year.

THREATS TO ZAMBIA’S WETLANDS

The environmental stress is caused by human settlement and hunting (especially of the black lechwe), fishing, and cattle-grazing. Some of the chiefs of the area have attempted to regulate fishing and hunting i.e. in the Bangweulu wetlands, but many in the Bangweulu basin are affected by poverty and do not have viable alternatives to support themselves. People without formal employment or those thrown out of work usually relocate to wetland areas in the hope of supporting their families by exploiting the area's resources.

While some of the wetlands which are part of protected areas are under some form of management, this is limited as such protection tends not to be adequately wetland specific. 

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