Gorongosa National Park
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Parque National da Gorongosa
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 Entrance to the national park |
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| location | Mozambique, Sofala Province |
| surface | 3,770 km² |
| WDPA ID | 801 |
| Geographical location | 18 ° 46 ′ S , 34 ° 30 ′ E |
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| Setup date | July 23, 1960 |
| administration | Direcção Nacional de Áreas de Conservação |
The Gorongosa National Park (Portuguese Parque National da Gorongosa ) in Mozambique was established in 1960 as the first national park in Mozambique by the then colonial power Portugal . The national park is named after the nearby mountain range Gorongosa .
location
The Gorongosa National Park is located in the southern foothills of the Great Rift Valley north of Beira in the Sofala province in central Mozambique. In the southwest, the Rio Púnguè forms the border of the national park.
history
Colonial times
The beginnings of the national park go back to a hunting area founded in 1920 by the Mozambique Company . The British-controlled company obtained control of the province of Sofala with the port city of Beira through a license from the Portuguese colonial power. Initially only 1,000 square kilometers in size, the hunting area was enlarged to 3,200 square kilometers in 1935. In 1940 a new headquarters and tourist camp were built on the Mussicadzi River . However, these were destroyed by floods two years later. In 1941 the contract of the Portuguese colonial power with the Mozambique Company ended and the hunting area, which had increasingly become a tourist attraction, was placed under the colonial administration and the first steps were taken to convert it into a protected area. In 1951, the reserve was enlarged by a 12,000-kilometer protection zone and the Chitengo Camp with headquarters, accommodation and restaurant was built. At the end of the 1950s, more than 6000 tourists a year visited the protected area. On July 23, 1960, the 3200 square kilometer protected area and a further 2100 square kilometers of the protection zone were elevated to a national park by the Portuguese government. In 1966, however, the park was reduced in size again.
Liberation struggle
The liberation struggle in Mozambique, initiated by Frelimo, lasted from 1962 to 1975 . Until 1972 this liberation struggle had no impact on the Gorongosa National Park. Even until Mozambique gained independence in 1975, the park was largely spared from destruction.
Civil war
After independence, a civil war broke out in Mozambique that lasted until 1992, during which, from 1982 onwards, the area of the Gorongosa National Park was fiercely contested between the two civil war parties. During the civil war, the park was left to its own devices and the infrastructure was destroyed. The park came under the control of the Renamo , who set up their headquarters in the park.
Current development
It was not until 1995, three years after the end of the civil war, that the African Development Bank (ADB), the European Union and the IUCN began to rebuild the national park. Under the direction of two pre-war pre-war National Park employees, 50 former soldiers have been hired and work has begun on rebuilding infrastructure and protecting wildlife from poaching. It took until 1998 to demine the national park. Since 2004 the government of Mozambique has been working closely with the American Carr Foundation to rebuild the national park . In 2008, this cooperation was agreed in a contract for the next 20 years. At the end of April 2008, the national park was reopened to tourism after the infrastructure was repaired.
landscape
The Gorongosa National Park is located in the southern foothills of the Great African Rift Valley in an area crossed by many rivers. The national park is located in a floodplain northwest of the Rio Púnguè, between 200 and 400 meters above sea level. The national park, interspersed with isolated island mountains, is characterized by a savannah landscape with swamps and many rivers that flow into Lake Urema . Parts of the Cheringoma Plateau in the east also belong to the national park . In the west, the national park is bounded by the Barue Plateau , on which the Serra da Gorgongosa rises.
Rivers and lakes in the park
The Rio Púnguè forms the southwestern border of the national park. The Urema flows through the national park from north to south and flows into a marshland of the Rio Púnguè. In the middle of the national park, the Urema forms together with almost 10 other rivers, of which the Nhandugue is the largest, the Urema Lake . Besides the Rio Púnguè, only the Vunduzi and the Nhandungue have water all year round.
Flora and vegetation
The national park is characterized by forest savannas , on the slopes of the plateaus and in dry areas with the Brachystegia or Mopane plant genus typical of a Miombo savannah . In the lower savannas in the valley, baobab , marula tree , liver sausage tree and umbrella acacia are also increasingly common . About 14 percent of the park is covered by forest or thick thicket. Around 20 percent of the savannah area in the valley is regularly flooded.
The following plant species have been identified in the park:
- Woods
- Yellow fever tree or fever acacia ( Acacia xanthophloea )
- Crocodile tree ( Acacia nigrescens )
- Giant pod ( Entada abyssinica )
- Newtonia buchananii
- Annona senegalensis
- Ethiopian palmyra palm ( Borassus aethiopum )
- Hyphaene coriacea
- Bauhinia galpinii
- Ehretia amoena
- Coral tree ( Erythrina livingstoniana )
- Millettia stuhlmannii
- herbaceous plants
- Primrose gladiolus ( Gladiolus dalenii )
- Blue peacock flower, African iris or Cape iris ( Dietes iridioides )
- Crinum stuhlmannii , a species of the hook lily
- Cryptostephanus vansonii , a species of the African clivia
- Orbea halipedicola
- Streptocarpus brachynema , a species from the genus of rotary fruits
- Trumpet thorn ( Tribulus terrestris )
- Aristolochia albida , a type of pipe flower
- East Indian arrowroot ( Tacca leontopetaloides )
- Aloe arborescens
Wildlife
Before the civil war destroyed the national park and up to 95 percent of the large game population was destroyed through poaching, the national park was considered one of the most biodiverse national parks in southern Africa. During the civil war the elephant population was reduced from more than 2500 animals to 200-300 animals through poaching. With the ivory trade, the civil war parties obtained the money they needed for weapons. The population of other animal species, such as zebras , wildebeests , buffalo or lions and other predators, was also severely decimated during the civil war and in the years afterwards due to poaching and its consequences. Since 1994 the park has been protected from poaching again and attempts are being made to reintroduce lost animal species. The national park still has a unique biodiversity that is slowly recovering. Today 700 buffalos, over 500 elephants and 70 lions live in the park.
climate
Central Mozambique has a tropical climate. The annual rainfall is up to 1400 mm. In the southern summer (rainy season) the temperatures are between 30 and 40 ° C with high humidity. In the dry winter, temperatures reach between 15 and 25 ° C.
Infrastructure / tourism
The infrastructure in the national park was largely destroyed during the civil war. Reconstruction work has been underway since 1994.
Park entrance
The approach to the park entrance branches off the EN1 road to the east after 40 kilometers from Inchope . After 11 kilometers you will reach the park entrance. After another 18 kilometers you will reach the only camp.
Streets
There are no paved roads in the park. The access to the camp is accessible with normal vehicles during the dry season. All other paths in the park are only suitable for off-road vehicles .
accommodation
The only camp in the park is the Chitengo Safari Camp. It is located on the banks of the Rio Púnguès in the south of the national park. It offers cabins for accommodation, a campsite and a restaurant. A congress center is to be completed in 2009.
care
With the exception of the restaurant and the accommodation, there are no supplies and no gas station in the park. The nearest gas station is in Nhamatanda, more than 100 kilometers away .
swell
General sources
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f History of the Gorongosa National Park
- ↑ a b Homepage of the Mozambique coordination group. V.
- ↑ Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park reopened, Topic Portal 1 & 1 ( page can no longer be accessed , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ a b c Ecology of the Gorongosa National Parks
- ↑ Markus M. Haefliger: Only a few of the many good ideas are realized. In: nzz.ch. March 5, 2016, accessed October 14, 2018 .
