Luangwa Valley - Waiting for Thunder

In Zambia's Luangwa Valley, rain and river create a wildlife stronghold.

The Luangwa, one of the last major unaltered rivers in southern Africa, is the lifeline—and protector—of the valley it threads. Hippos, elephants, giraffes, lions, leopards, buffalo, and scores of other species flourish in the 20,000 square miles (52,000 square kilometers) of savanna-woodland watered by this 500-mile-long (800 kilometers) river. It is people that have been scarce here, especially beyond the town of Mfuwe. One reason is the Luangwa's annual flood cycle. Each year during the rains, the river reinvents the land. Swelling from a knee-deep stream to a roiling brown torrent, it carves new channels and spills into surrounding plains and woodlands, making this broad valley in eastern Zambia impassable by road for nearly half the year. For the other half, the waters retreat, leaving behind a rejuvenated landscape, which slowly parches through the long dry months that follow, when temperatures steadily climb until the land throbs with heat and thirst.

By late October, the floodplains are grazed to stubble, and a hot wind spins dust devils in the powdery soil. At dusk, hippos leave the river's last deep pools and melt into the darkness of the bush to forage. Some walk for miles to find food, and many die in this season of stress. One morning a small dead hippo floats by. Female hippos approach and nuzzle it, licking its skin, then moving away.

The seasons can be hard on the valley's wildlife, but people have been harder still. Hunting and poaching, even within the national parks, have drastically reduced hippo and elephant populations in the past, yet both have made a comeback, thanks in part to changes in enforcement and attitude. The resurgence is a sign of human tolerance and nature's resilience.

In November thunderheads build, bruised and dark, and the sky rumbles all night. One afternoon the earthy aroma of an approaching downpour blows in on a hard wind, and a cool gray curtain of rain sweeps the land, beating down in a torrent, rinsing dust from grasses and trees. Almost overnight, green shoots poke up from the earth. Bare mopani woodlands shimmer pink with new leaves. Lemon yellow blooms pop from acacias, and fragile spider lilies spring up in white drifts on the plains. Elephants and buffalo disperse into the uplands, where the browse is fresh. Impalas give birth, and zebras materialize from the bush with tiny foals.

Within days of the first rain, Abdim's storks appear overhead, wheeling in great gyres of thousands of birds. They are migrating south, and some Africans know them as bringers of rain. They touch down in a bobbing mass, moving together through the grass in a broad front, like fire, finding frogs and insects brought forth by the water. A new season is here.

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2007/05/zambia-wildlife/eckstrom-text.html

Zambia's Incredible North Luangwa

Local communities to benefit from tourism ventures in their localities

A South African Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO) dealing with the promotion of tourism has pledged to work closely with the local people to promote tourism in the country.

Open Africa is an NGO that promotes the development of tourism corridor routs in six southern Africa countries namely South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Zambia and Mozambique,

Zambian route developer Cobus du Plessis said tourism can play a cardinal role towards alleviating poverty levels in the country if only local citizens participate in the implementation process.

Mr. Plessie told ZANIS in an interview in Lusaka that despite Zambia been a country that has attract many tourists through its vast natural resources, her citizen have continued to live in abject poverty.

He said it is for his reason that his organisation has targeted full participation of local communities as a way of encouraging them to invest in the tourism sector and mitigate the effects of the global economic crisis.

He said despite the global economic crisis, tourism has proved to be a sector that can still continue to contribute to the economic growth of the country if all citizens are allowed to take part.

Meanwhile, Mr. Plessie has challenged tour operators in the country to lower their charges and also market their products locally to attract more tourists and increase their revenue base.

In Zambia the NGO will open five new routes in Kasanka national park, North Luangwa, Mpika, Southern Kafue and the Barotse land.

And the Private Sector Development Association (PSDA) has encouraged the business community especially in the tourism industry to collaborate if they are to remain in business during the global economic meltdown.

PSDA chairperson Yusuf Dodia explained that by working together operators will come up with constructive solutions that will go a long way towards revamping the national economy.

Mr. Dodia further hinted that Zambian tourism industry still stands a great potential of overcoming the current economic challenges if it is properly managed.

http://www.lusakatimes.com/?p=11726