IUCN Management Category II (National Park)

Biogeographical Province 3.07.04 (Miombo Woodland/savanna)

Geographical Location North-east of Lusaka and mainly to the west of the middle reaches of the Luangwa river. 12°28'-13°14'S, 30°58'-32°08'E.

Date and History of Establishment 25 February 1972, by Statutory Instrument No. 44 of 1972; Legislated as a game reserve in 1938, but gazetted in 1904 to protect Thornicroft's giraffe

Area 905,000ha

Land Tenure Government

Altitude 500-1,100m

Physical Features The Luangwa river in the park area is at about 580m altitude. The valley floor rises gently westwards to 760m at the foot of the Muchinga escarpment (1,400m), which forms the north-west boundary. The valley is a rift filled with Karoo sediments and overlain by recent sediments along the main river courses which are finely dissected into ridges with low interfluves. Mudstone plains occur at Chifungwe and Lunda. The main river and tributaries have a meander belt. Mean annual temperature is 25°C. The annual rainfall is 832mm, and in the rainy season, from November to March, there are often heavy storms.

Climate No information

Vegetation Woodland savanna with Acacia sp., Combretum sp., and Terminalia sericea occurs on freely draining alluvium and thickets. Older alluvial soils support patches of Colophospermum mopane woodland with a 15m canopy. The floodplain grassland includes Oryza, and Echinochloa species bordered by some riparian forest. Miombo woodland up to 25m high of mainly Brachystegia sp., Julbernardia sp., and Isoberlinia angolensis is widespread on deeper sandy soils. In the shallow stony soils near the escarpment Brachystegia stipulata and Julbernardia globiflora are dominant.

Fauna A variety of larger mammals are abundant, especially ungulates. Mammals include wild dog Lycaon pictus (T), hyena Crocuta crocuta, leopard Panthera pardus (T), cheetah Acinonyx jubatus (T), elephant Loxodonta africana (T)(high density), black rhinoceros Diceros bicornis (T), hippopotamus Hippopotamus amphibius, Thornicroft's giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis thornicrofti (endemic subspecies of the valley and found mainly in the southern area), impala Aepyceros melampus (numerous), greater kudu Tragelaphus strepsiceros, buffalo Syncerus caffer, puku Kobus vardoni, sable antelope Hippotragus niger, and roan antelope H. equinus, Lichtenstein's hartebeest Alcelaphus lichtensteini, and Cookson's wildebeest Connochaetes taurinus cooksoni (local subspecies present in small numbers). Primates include vervet monkey Cercopithecus aethiops, Moloney's monkey C. mitis moloneyi, and chacma baboon Papio ursinus. Birdlife is prolific and the park is particularly noteworthy for storks, geese, cranes, and the riparian colonies of carmine bee-eater Merops nubicus. The Luangwa river is now one of the major remaining refuges for the Nile crocodile Crocodylus niloticus (V).

Cultural Heritage No information

Local Human Population No information

Visitors and Visitor Facilities Access is by air or road. Facilities include two catering lodges (48 beds) and three non-catering lodges (30 beds). Walking safaris are possible in zone 2. The park is open from June to October.

Scientific Research and Facilities Research teams from the Department of National Parks and Wildlife Service, and FAO have been carrying out work in the area. In 1981 and 1983, a rhinoceros census was carried out and recommended concentration of anti-poaching efforts in well-defined key areas of South Luangwa National Park.

There is laboratory and office accommodation and transport including vehicles, aircraft, and boats.

Conservation Value No information

Conservation Management Total, except against mining

There are three zones: part of the Luangwa riverine area with visitor access by vehicle or foot; the Luangwa river and two major tributaries with access on foot only; and the remaining area with no visitor access.

In 1973, the Luangwa Valley Conservation Project was set up to advise the Government of Zambia on management and development requirements for the full utilisation of natural resources in the valley (Albrecht 1973, Boulton 1973, Dunlap 1973, and Ford 1973). A management plan was written for the area in 1976 by J.H. Kuper for FAO, Rome. A new line of camps was established along the western boundary in 1980 staffed with 50 guards to facilitate better control over elephant and rhino poaching. Reinforcement by Honorary Wildlife Rangers on the escarpment during 1981 proved effective against poachers. The Save the Rhino Trust began operations in 1980 with a mobile anti-poaching unit using vehicles and radios under IUCN/WWF Project 1757. As manpower and funds are limited, activities were restricted to intensive patrols of the main elephant and rhinoceros strongholds. It is hoped that funds from the Norwegian Agency for International Development (NORAD) will enable the units to continue.

Management Constraints Prospecting for minerals and uncontrolled bush fires due to poor land management occur. Poaching, particularly for elephant and rhinoceros, has been encouraged by an increase in the world demand for ivory and rhinoceros horn. The elephant population in the park has been reduced by about 50,000 between 1975 and 1980. Despite the efforts by the Save the Rhino Trust, large areas of South Luangwa National Park and the entire North Luangwa National Park are at the mercy of poachers, due to lack of finance. Commercial poaching has not decreased. Trees are damaged or ring-barked by elephant during the dry season when grazing is poor and migration to wetter regions is restricted by the park boundary. Overgrazing of grasses by overcrowded populations exposes the soils to sheet erosion. Gully erosion of mudstone soils is caused by trampling compaction, followed by rain run-off erosion.

Staff Warden, 60 wildlife officers, and two biologists (1977)

Budget About US$400,000 per annum (1977); US$438,000 from WWF from 1980-1983

Local Addresses

Wildlife Warden, PO Box 510143, Chipata.

References

Albrecht, R.W. (1973). Land Use Development Proposals for the Mid and Upper Luangwa Watershed. UNDP/FAO, Rome. FO: DP/ZAM/68/510. Working document No. 3.

Astle, W.L., Webster, R. and Lawrence, C.J. (1959). Land classification for management planning of the Luangwa valley of Zambia. J. Appl. Ecol. 6(2): 143-171.

Boulton, M.N. (1973). Conservation Education in Zambia. UNDP/FAO, Rome. FO: DP/ZAM/68/510. Working document No.5.

Drysdall, A.R. and Kitching, J.W. (Date unknown). A re-examination of the Karoo succession and fossil locations of parts of the upper Luangwa valley. Geological Survey Memoir No. 1, Lusaka.

Dunlap, R.C. (1973). A Tourism Plan for the Luangwa Valley. UNDP/FAO, Rome. FO: DP/ZAM/68/510. Working Document No. 4.

Ford, L.P. (1973). Fire Control in the Luangwa Valley. UNDP/FAO, Rome. FO: DP/ZAM/68/510. Working Document No.2.

Giardino, J.R. (1974). When elephants destroy a valley. Geographical Magazine 47: 175-181.

IUCN/WWF Project 1757. Rhino Conservation in Luangwa Valley National Parks, Zambia.

Kuper, J.H. (1975-1976). Reports to Luangwe Valley Research Project, FAO (Rome), on mopane vegetation, elephant and rhinoceros of the park and a management plan for the park.

Leader-Williams, N. (1985). Black rhino in South Luangwa National Park: their distribution and future protection. Oryx 19: 27-33.

Mitchell, B.L. and Ansell, W.F.H. (1971). Wildlife of Kafue and Luangwa. Zambian National Tourist Board.

Date 1984