Liuwa Plain National Park - Zambia

An African Parks project since 2003, at 3,660 KM2, Luiwa Plain's expansive vistas are home to the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa and the legendary lioness Lady Luiwa.  With over 15,000 wildebeest, a plethora of water birds, and apex predators including hyenas, cheetahs, and Luiwa's famous lions, Liuwa offers an unparalleled sense of space and wilderness, and epitomises wild Africa.

However, Luiwa's wildlife also share this landscape with over 10,000 community members who live inside the park.  In the late 19th century the then King of Barotseland, Lubosi Lewanika, appointed his people as the custodians of the reserve and its wildlife.  Since then, animals and people have lived side by side within the park.

The stats....

• 334 bird species occur in the park;
• Liuwa is home to the famous lioness Lady Liuwa;
• Wilderbeast population has grown from 15,000 in 2004 to between 30,000 to 40,000 individuals in 2016.

The Highlights

• Three lions were introduced to accompany the famous and sole surviving lioness Lady Liuwa;
• Since 2003, poaching has been curtailed and wildebeest and zebra populations are on the rise.  Antelope that were locally extinct have been reintroduced, and the cheetah population is recovering its the addition of none cubs;
• Luiwa hosts the second largest wildebeest migration in Africa;
• A community development fund providing monthly payments has been used for projects selected by the community, including health clinics and building materials for school buildings.

What next for Liuwa Plain?

• Develop the parks tourism infrastructure to increase benefits for local communities;
• Construct the new luxury camp with Norman Carr Safaris;
• Provide community training on land usage to improve their agricultural yields;
• Investigate ways of reducing dependancy on naturally occurring fish stocks that are variable with climate change;
• Conduct a park-wide aerial survey to verify wildebeest and zebra numbers to inform the protection strategy.

All of this information has been taken from the African Parks website.  If you want to find out even more about Liuwa Plain National Park then why not grab a cuppa and click on the link below - happy browsing!

Liuwa Plain National Park 

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