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Restoration of the Kafue Flats

The Kafue Flats is a 6,500km2 floodplain located in the southern region of Zambia, between two dams; Itezhi-tezhi upstream and Kafue Gorge downstream, on the lower Kafue River. The Kafue Flats are of major, industrial, ecological and socio-economic significance for Zambia. The Kafue Flats generate 50% of Zambia’s national hydroelectricity supply through the Kafue Gorge Dam and Itezhi-Tezhi Dam, and 44% of water used in Lusaka is drawn from the Kafue River. The region is home to the highest concentration of cattle in the country, with an estimated 20% of the national herd (290,000 cattle) grazing on the flats in the dry season. An extensive sugar irrigation sector, supplying both domestic and export markets, also exists. The fisheries of the Kafue
Flats are one of Zambia’s most productive wild fisheries, supplying both urban and rural markets with an annual estimated value of US $30 million.
 
Unfortunately, the situation on the Kafue Flats has reached a crisis. Urgent action is needed to secure the habitat and remaining populations of wildlife on the Flats and enhance capacity for the  management of the two national parks and Game Management Area. 
 
In June 2017, the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW), in collaboration with the International Crane
Foundation/ Endangered Wildlife Trust (ICF/EWT) Partnership and the World Wide Fund for Nature in Zambia
(WWF Zambia) embarked on a three-year project titled “Restoring the Kafue Flats: An Integrated Management of
the Invasive Shrub Mimosa pigra”. More details about this project can be downloaded in the Project Brief.

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Kafue Flats Restoration Project Brief Zambia

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