Prescribed Flooding and Wetland Rehabilitation in the Zambezi Delta, Mozambique

Abstract

The mighty Zambezi, fourth largest river system in Africa, is the lifeline of southern Africa. From its headwaters in northwestern Zambia to its outlet 2,574 km downstream into the Indian Ocean, the Zambezi drains an area of 1,570,000 km2 from eight countries and carries a mean annual flow of 2,400 m3s-1 across the arid central African plateau (Balek 1977, Davies 1986). Some of the most important wetland areas in Africa, such as the Okavango Delta and Kafue Flats, are linked to the Zambezi system (Figure 1). Although few places evoke a sense of untamable African wilderness like the Zambezi, efforts to control the river and its tributaries behind large hydroelectric dams have greatly diminished the productivity and diversity of the river system. Nowhere have the consequences been more dire than in the great Zambezi Delta.