Barotse Floodplain Factsheet

Local livelihoods and cultural traditions are closely linked to seasonal flooding of the Barotse Floodplain.

During the dry season, most local production, economic activity and settlement is in the floodplain area. As the plain becomes inundated, most of the population move to the uplands and plain fringes. This annual relocation of people and cattle includes the movement of the Litunga in a highly- celebrated traditional ceremony - the Kuomboka ceremony. The floodplains are an exceptional example of a culturally evolved landscape based on the construction of homesteads, royal graves and canals for transportation, land drainage, flood control and agricultural activity.

WWF Zambia is supporting the National Heritage Conservation Commission (NHCC) to protect the Barotse Floodplains. Find out more in the Factsheet.

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