Kafue Flats

The Batwa are generally considered to be the surviving remnants of nomadic Bushmen who inhabited Zambia long before the Bantu peoples began to arrive from the Congo Basin to the north.

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.

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.

The Kafue Flats consists of a complex pattern of floodplain, lagoons, ox-bow lakes, abandoning river channels, marshes and levees surrounded by grasslands and woodlands.

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.

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).

Wildebeest, buffalo, roan, kudu, hippo are present in limited numbers particularly in and around the Lochinvar and Blue Lagoon National Parks.

[18] The flats are home to large concentrations of resident and migratory waterbirds including significant breeding colonies deep within the swamps.

[19] Other important species found on the Kafue Flats include the crowned crane, slaty egret, lappet faced vulture, lesser kestrel and corn crake.

[19] 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.