The Bangweulu ecosystem, covering 600,000 hectares in Northern Zambia, consists of a variety of habitats: wetlands, seasonally flooded grasslands, and huge virgin miombo woodlands. It stretches northwards to include Lake Bangweulu and other adjoining smaller lakes, swamps, floodplains, islands and woodlands. Here you can experience the sheer spectacle of 75,000 black lechwe or spot a vast array of bird species. Enjoy the serenity of a banana boat ride through the wetlands as you encounter shoebills, wattled cranes, pelicans, spoonbills,open bill storks, and collared pratincoles. Blue-throated bee-eaters, lesser jacanas and black crakes and a multitude of other birds are also commonly seen.
Animals that inhabit this precious ecosystem are: tsessebe, oribi, sitatunga, zebra, buffalo, reedbuck, hippo and hyaena.
After many years of concerned conservationists trying to make the wetlands a National Park, African Parks and its’ partners are taking a new approach in order to protect one of Zambia’s most important wetland habitats.
The people of Bangweulu:
Humans have inhabited the wetlands area for hundreds of years as it provides a seemingly endless supply of fish. Many of the local people are direct descendents from the Batwa people who were hunters and fishermen and lived a nomadic lifestyle along the rivers and wetland edges.
Over the years, immigrants from the Congo basin have moved into the area and people have formed more permanent communities.
