Mana Pools National Park

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Mana Pools National Park IUCN Category II - National Park
View of the Zambezi in Mana Pools National Park
location	Mashonaland West , Zimbabwe
surface	2,500 km²
WDPA ID	2531
Geographical location	15 ° 45 ′  S , 29 ° 20 ′  E Coordinates: 15 ° 45 ′ 0 ″  S , 29 ° 20 ′ 0 ″  E
Setup date	1975
administration	Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority

The Mana Pools National Park ( English Mana Pools National Park ) with the associated safari areas Sapi and Chewore is located in the Urungwe District in the West Mashonaland region in West Zimbabwe . The area is around 2,500 km². The area belongs since 1984 to UNESCO - World Heritage .

Mana means "four" in the Shona language , due to the four large water basins of the Zambezi , which are also filled with water in the dry season . In every rainy season the flood plain of the Zambezi is transformed into a lake landscape, which dries up again in the dry season. On this level there are isolated villages, the Muzarabani , whose people farm poorly with millet.

Human influences

The construction of the Kariba Dam above the flood plain in the 1950s changed the timing and extent of the flooding. However, it is not clear to what extent this has negatively affected the animal world. The only thing that is undisputed is that the dam holds back mud that would otherwise be washed into the plain. The associated lower nutrient input affects the nutritional basis for herbivores. Another problem is excessive grazing of trees by elephants .

In the 1980s it was proposed to build a dam downstream of the Mupata Gorge, which threatened to permanently flood larger areas of the flood plain. It is claimed that the designation of the national park was made to prevent this project, among other things. However, this project is still regularly mentioned in feasibility studies.

landscape

The landscape is shaped by the changing water level of the Zambezi. There are riverside landscapes, islands, sandbanks and pools. Drier areas are covered with a forest of mahogany , ebony , baobab, and wild fig . The river and the flood plain are bordered by steep cliffs.

Wildlife

Since the permanently water-bearing ponds are the only water source in the wide area in the dry season, numerous animals gather here. The area is therefore popular for viewing large animals. These include lion , African elephant , African buffalo , leopard, and cheetah . Numerous Nile crocodiles and hippos of the tributaries of the Zambezi, which dry out in summer, withdraw into the few remaining bodies of water (pools).

The 500 remaining in establishment of the park black rhinos are partly fallen victim to poachers, but have been relocated to a greater extent in other national parks in Zimbabwe.

Footnotes

1. ↑ UNESCO World Heritage Center: Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas. Accessed August 21, 2017 . 
2. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original dated June 24, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. World Commission on Dams Case Study: Kariba Dam Zambia and Zimbabwe, 2000, p. 94  
3. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated June 11, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
4. ↑ For example in the Small-hydro Atlas ( Memento of the original from October 8, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. , see. also Water project row looms, Zim Independent (September 4, 2004) 

Web links

• Entry on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).
• Zimbabwe Parks & Wildlife Management Authority: Mana Pools National Park Overview . on www.zimparks.org (English)