The Cuvelai
The Cuvelai drainage system channels runoff from
Angola’s summer rainfall through a complex system
of ephemeral river channels, referred to as the oshanas.
When the system floods, the runoff flows through the
shallow channels in a southerly direction to the Etosha
pan in Namibia.
During the wet season, the oshanas of the Cuvelai
drainage system are estimated to support around
30 to 40 % of Namibia’s population with subsistence
farming and fishing on the seasonal wetlands. In
addition, the flooded wetlands contain small fish,
carried with the runoff from the North, which are
joined by various pond fauna and draw various bird
species, including flamingo.
Basin
The Limpopo
The majority of wetlands along the Limpopo basin are
located in Mozambique and along the Changane River.
There are three Ramsar wetland sites in the Limpopo
basin: The Makuleke Wetlands, the Nylsvley Nature
Reserve and the Verloren Valei Nature Reserve. All three
wetland sites have conservation status and therefore
contribute to the local economies with tourism.
Basin
The Okavango
The Okavango Basin’s main stream, the Okavango River,
is southern Africa’s fourth longest river and is produced
by seasonal flooding during the summer months. It
begins as the Rio Cubango in Angola, flows south to
form the border between Angola and Namibia and, in
Botswana, it reaches the large swampy inland delta
called the Okavango Delta, a UNESCO World
Heritage Site.
The Okavango River and the delta attract great
concentrations of wildlife, including huge elephant and
buffalo herds, and consequently fuel a lucrative tourism
industry in Namibia and Botswana.
Basin
The Zambezi
The Zambezi basin is the fourth-largest river basin of
Africa with a large area covered by wetlands. These
include the Barotse Floodplains in Zambia, the Chobe
Swamps in northeastern Namibia, the Linyanti Swamp
in Botswana, the Busanga Swamps on the Lunga River,
the Lukanga Swamps and the Kafue Flats on the
Luangwa River, and the Elephant Marsh near the town
of Chiromo in Malawi. These wetlands are used for
fisheries, including commercial fisheries, agriculture,
wildlife management and transportation services.
Basin
Monitoring and Assessment
to identify existing assessment and monitoring methods applicable to southern Africa
Integrated online platform
to design, develop and operationalise an integrated platform that can provide wetland information service to target groups and end users
Capacity development and Outreach
to extend existing EO capabilities to SADC decision makers for wetland assessment and monitoring through capacity building and leverage awareness
Funded by
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