76 / 126
ZAMBIA - ATLAS OF OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
76
Approximately 225,000 sq kilometres, that is
30 per cent of the total land cover in Zambia have
been designated as protected areas. This is one of
the largest amounts of protected land in Southern
Africa. National Parks make up 8 per cent of the
country’s land cover and Game Management
Areas (GMAs) make up 22 per cent (MTENR, 2006).
The country has 20 national parks and 34 GMAs
as shown in Figure 2.11. The GMAs serve as buffer
zones around the National Parks and are host to
224 known mammalian species of which about
12 per cent are endangered (ECZ, 2008).
Wildlife
TANZANIA
MALAWI
MOZAMBIQUE
ZIMBABWE
BOTSWANA
ANGOLA
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
Game management areas
National parks
NAMIBIA
Expanding human settlements, cultivation,
livestock grazing and deforestation, as well as
road construction and mining have resulted in the
fragmentation of ecosystems and obstruct wildlife
migratory routes to breeding, watering and feeding
grounds (ECZ, 2008).
Figure 2.11 National parks and GMAs
Environmental Council of Zambia, 2008