Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Lower Zam-
bezi National
Park
4092
sq km
Zambezi River, sandy flats, mopane woodland; crocs,
hippos, elephants, buffaloes, lions
canoeing, boating,
birdwatching, game
drives
Jun-Sep
North Luang-
wa National
Park
9050
sq km
Luangwa River,
miombo
woodland, plains; buffaloes,
elephants, hippos, Thornicroft's giraffes, leopards, lions
walking safaris
May-Oct
South Luang-
wa National
Park
9050
sq km
mopane &
miombo
woodland, grasslands; Thornicroft's
giraffes, Cookson's wildebeest, lions, leopards, ele-
phants, pukus
day & night game
drives, walking sa-
faris
Apr-Oct
Environmental Issues & Conservation
Although the population is growing rapidly it is still relatively sparse, so Zambia doesn't
suffer some of the environmental problems, or at least to the same extent, as its neigh-
bours. That being said, the country faces the daunting challenge of deforestation and con-
sequent soil erosion and loss of productivity. Poachers set fires to ambush animals, land is
regularly burned and cleared for agricultural purposes and local people chop down wood
for charcoal (much of which ends up for sale in Tanzania). Despite the government's ban
on the export of raw timber to other Southern African Development Community (SADC)
countries, illegal logging and timber smuggling continues, now primarily to meet the de-
mand for wood from China.
HUNTING
Hunting has greatly damaged Zambia's wildlife. The 1970s were a devastating time, when
other countries' civil wars were funded with ivory coming out of the parks. In 1960 North
Luangwa had 70,000 elephants; this figure dropped to an estimated 5000 by 1986. Under
pressure from international organisations, however, the Zambian government introduced
serious anti-poaching and development measures. Despite successes in some parks,
poaching and poor management remain major problems. Jeffrey Goldberg's April 5, 2010
New Yorker
article, 'Cry of the Kalahari' is a fascinating exploration of Mark and Delia
Owens' controversial conservation work in North Luangwa National Park;
In the Eye of
the Elephant
is the Owens' own account of their Zambian experiences.
In the past, people moved into some protected areas, chopped down trees, grew crops or
hunted the animals. They were poor, and good land and food were scarce. Animals were a
source of protein in areas where tsetse flies mean raising livestock isn't an option. ('No
