The Kafue Flats is one of Africa’s most ecologically and economically important floodplains. Covering approximately 6,500 km² across Zambia’s Southern and Central Provinces, this vast wetland is recognized globally as a Ramsar Site under the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA), and Zambia’s only UNESCO-designated Man and the Biosphere Reserve.
Bordered by two major reservoirs, the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam upstream and the Kafue Gorge Dam downstream, the Kafue Flats is a hydrologically dynamic system within the Kafue River Basin, supporting critical ecological processes and livelihoods. The Kafue Flats encompasses two national parks, Blue Lagoon National Park to the North, Lochinvar National Park on the Southern end, and the Kafue Flats Game Management Area (GMA) which is home to seven traditional chiefdoms (five associated with Lochinvar and two with Blue Lagoon). This coexistence of people and nature underlines the landscape’s role in integrated conservation and sustainable development.
The Kafue Flats are rich with a diverse range of habitats including but not limited to Oxbow lakes, Marshes, Woodlands, Lagoons, Levees, and Grasslands shaped by seasonal flooding which sustain rich biodiversity. The Kafue Flats is home to the endemic and Endangered Kafue Lechwe (Kobus leche kafuensis), along with other key species such as Hippopotamus (Hippopotamus amphibius), Cape Buffalo (Cyncerus cafer), Greater Kudu (Tregalaphus strepsiceros), Plain Zebra (Equus quagga) etc. The wetlands also harbour a rich diversity of fish, invertebrates, amphibians, reptiles, and over 460 species of resident and migratory birds. The Flats support globally significant populations of threatened species, including: ~30% of the global population of the Vulnerable Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus), and Endangered Grey Crowned Cranes (Balearica regulorum). Additionally, four vulture species, three of which are Critically Endangered—the White-backed Vulture (Gyps africanus), Hooded Vulture (Necrosyrtes monachus), and White-headed Vulture (Trigonoceps occipitalis) and one Endangered species, the Lappet-faced Vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) occur on the Flats.
The Kafue Flats are not only ecologically vital but also economically important to Zambia. It contributes about 50% of Zambia’s hydroelectricity. Additionally, the Kafue Flats are integral to Zambia's agricultural sector, producing over 90% of the nation's sugar and sustaining over 20% of the national cattle herd, 7% of the country's fisheries and 44% of the water used in the capital Lusaka.
