Lavushi Manda National Park
| Lavushi Manda National Park | |
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IUCN category II (national park)
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| Location | Zambia |
| Coordinates | 12°19′S 30°51′E / 12.317°S 30.850°ECoordinates: 12°19′S 30°51′E / 12.317°S 30.850°E |
| Area | 1,500 km² |
| Established | 1972 |
| Governing body | Zambia Wildlife Authority |
Lavushi Manda National Park is a national park in the Muchinga Province of Zambia with an area of 1,500 sq km. It is part of the Central Zambezian Miombo woodlands ecoregion. It is the 11th largest of the 20 National Parks in Zambia. The park was initially gazetted as a Game Reserve in 1941, and as a National Park in 1972.
From 2011 Lavushi Manda has been managed by the Kasanka Trust along with the Kasanka National Park under an Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife. Initial establishment work at Lavushi Manda was undertaken with funding provided by the World Bank.
Lavushi Manda lies on the plateau area of Mpika District between the Muchinga Escarpment and the alluvial flats of the Bangweulu Wetlands. The scenery is dominated by the spectacular 47 km long Lavushi Manda mountain range in the southern half of the park. This range reaches up to 1811 meters altitude, forming one of the highest points in Zambia. Vertical cliffs characterise parts of the eastern slopes. The western slopes are rocky but typically vegetated, while there are substantial rocky plateau areas on top of the range.
Away from this range, the park is dominated by undulating or rather flat terrain, covered by vast stretches of miombo woodlands interspersed with large seasonally wet grasslands and valleys (dambo’s) feeding into numerous seasonal and perennial streams. Evergreen riparian forest lines much of the banks of the perennial streams.
Lavushi Manda contains a high number of large dambo plains which form the headwaters of numerous seasonal and perennial streams. Perennial rivers which drain the park are, from southwest to northeast, the Lulimala, Lukulu, Lumbatwa (including the Lubweshi) and Mufubushi. All of these streams form part of the boundaries and, with the exception of the Lukulu, have their sources on the boundaries of the park. These streams all flow directly into the Bangweulu Wetlands. The streams draining Lavushi Manda are of critical importance for the ecologically extremely rich Bangweulu Wetlands. The inner delta’s of the Lukulu and Lumbatwa rivers are among the richest parts of the Wetlands.
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Wikipedia