Zambezi River Basin

Number of species

Sources :IUCN 1996.The IUCN Red List of threatened Species: Summary statisticsfor globally threatened species. Species Survival Commission. IUCN –The

World Conservation Union. Gland; IUCN 2003.The IUCN Red List of threatened Species: Summary statistics for globally threatened species. Species Survival

Commission. IUCN –TheWorld Conservation Union. Gland; UNEP 2002. Africa Environment Outlook: Past, present and future perspectives. UNEP. Nairobi

Threatened Species in Zambezi River Basin countries

Angola

Zimbabwe

Zambia

Tanzania

Namibia

Mozambique

Malawi

Botswana

1996

2000

2003

100

200

300

400

500

600

700

800

Total 1996

Total 2003

Total 2000

The Zambezi basin is rich in wildlife, fish, plants,

and insects. These are found in terrestrial,

freshwater and marine ecosystems. Many species

are endemic to the Zambezi River Basin, including

Lake Malawi’s cichlids and the Mt. Mulanje cedar

(SADC and SARDC 2008).

Despite the abundance of wildlife resources in

the basin, there are pressures that threaten the

existence of this resource. Species that have become

extinct in the basin in recent times include the blue

wildebeest in Malawi, the Tsetsebe in Mozambique,

and the Kob in Tanzania (SADC and SARDC 2008).

Others face a high risk of extinction, and the

number of threatened species across the basin

continues to rise. The White (Grass) rhinocerous,

Black (Browse) rhinoceros, and the Black Wildebeest

are critically close to disappearing altogether, even

though decisive conservation action is allowing

some populations to revive (SADC and SARDC 2008).

The Wattled Crane is endangered in the basin partly

due to controlled flooding in the Kafue Flats which

has reduced its nesting sites. The population of the

lechwe (Kobus lechwe kafuenis) has also fallen in the

Kafue due to alteration of their marshy habitat (SADC

and SARDC 2008).

Figure 2.9

South Luangwa National Park, Zambia.

Wildlife