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ZAMBIA - ATLAS OF OUR CHANGING ENVIRONMENT
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Zambia is home to several types of wetlands, the
most common of which are riverine wetlands,
floodplains like the Barotse, Kafue flats, Luangwa,
and dambos. Dambos are a type of wetland
particular to Central, Southern and Eastern
Africa, particularly Zambia and Zimbabwe and
are characterized by grasses, rushes and sedges.
Dambos are very common in Zambia. Nearly
18 per cent of the country is covered by wetlands,
of which 12.5 per cent are dambos.
Wetlands are water resources that are used for
agriculture, livestock, fisheries, and domestic water
supplies. They also improve the quality of water by
acting as a filter for pollutants and sediments. The
Bangweulu swamps, the Zambezi Flood Plain, the
Kafue flats, Luapula-Mweru, Mweru-Wantipa, Busanga
Plain and Lukanga swamps are Zambia’s major
wetlands. Figure 2.13 shows the wetlands of Zambia
(McCartney, 2010).
Wetlands
TANZANIA
MALAWI
MOZAMBIQUE
ZIMBABWE
BOTSWANA
ANGOLA
DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO
NAMIBIA
Figure 2.13 Location of wetlands in Zambia
Environmental Council of Zambia, 2008
Busanga Plains in Kafue National Park
Madama, S., 2009