Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The West Zambezi Game Management Area is situated to the west of the main river channel of the immense Zambezi flood-plain. Following good rains, much of the area becomes inundated between about February and June. At this time the area near Mongu hosts the traditional Kuomboka ceremony of the Losi people, when the king (Litunga) is transported, in an ornate boat, to his palace on higher ground. During the dry season, people move into temporary villages and cultivate large areas of the flood-plain. Much of the area is poorly known and more work is required to define the exact limits of an IBA.
See Box for key species. Although more data are required, the area is undoubtedly important for waterbirds, and species such as
Phalacrocorax africanus,
Anastomus lamelligerus,
Charadrius asiaticus and
Chlidonias hybridus are known to exceed their 1% thresholds. Among species of global conservation concern,
Circus macrourus and
Gallinago media are non-breeding visitors, as is
Falco naumanni (also a passage migrant), and
Grus carunculatus is a common resident or visitor, while
Egretta vinaceigula has been noted occasionally. Seven species occur that are restricted to the Zambezian biome (see Table 3).
Non-bird biodiversity: An endemic species of Hemisus frog is known from the site. The flora and fauna of the area are poorly known, but very few large mammals remain.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The area is relatively highly populated and there is likely to be much subsistence hunting, but the extent and nature of other threats are not known and require further investigation. Recently there have been attempts to re-establish traditional land-management practices, which would benefit the environment.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Barotse Floodplains (Zambia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/barotse-floodplains-iba-zambia on 23/12/2024.
