Barotse floodplains, Zambia - Movingrivers.org

Overview

The Barotse floodplains are the second largest floodplains in Zambia and have a vast expanse of open land covered with Kalahari sands and riverine wetlands consisting of the Zambezi River and its floodplain (IUCN, 2003; NHCC, 2009; Zimba et al., 2018). The floodplains are vulnerable to increasing land use changes, pressures of economic and infrastructure developments, and population growth (Seyam et al., 2001; Banda et al., 2023). Natural threats include aquatic and riparian invasive species while an umbrella of climate change projections pointing towards higher temperatures and hydrological extremes of droughts and floods, which will exacerbate the negative impacts from anthropogenic influences affecting the natural productivity and functioning of the floodplain. The Barotse floodplains, like many other parts of Zambia, have experienced climate change-induced hazards such as excessive temperatures, prolonged and frequent droughts, and erratic, seasonal flash floods (MLNREP, 2016; Milupi et al., 2019). Fishing is the main source of livelihood, food, and nutrition for approximately 70,000 people dependent on the Barotse floodplain resources (CGIAR, 2013). Fishing occurs during the cold and hot dry seasons (May to October), but due to climate change, these seasons have become less predictable, and extreme weather events have become more prevalent (Milupi et al., 2019). With these current and potential pressures, this research aims to acquire a better understanding of current changes in the functioning of the floodplains and fish communities. This study will seek to gain insight into the fishers’ and other stakeholders’ perceptions of the – current fishing practices, changes in the floodplain affecting fish communities, and fishers’ responses to spatial-temporal changes in fish communities in the Barotse. The underlying assumption is that local knowledge systems and fishers’ and stakeholders’ perceptions about a fishery influence their practices, resource extraction patterns, and local fisheries management strategies.

References:

Banda, A.M., Banda, K., Sakala, E. et al. (2023). Assessment of land use change in the wetland of Barotse Floodplain, Zambezi River Sub-Basin, Zambia. Nat Hazards 115, 1193–1211. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11069-022-05589-0.

CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems. (2013). Improved fisheries management in the Barotse Floodplain of Zambia – An urgent call for action. CGIAR Research Program on Aquatic Agricultural Systems. Penang, Malaysia. Brief: AAS-2013-40.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). (2003). Barotse Floodplain, Zambia: local economic dependence on wetland resources. Case Studies in Wetland Valuation No.2: Integrating Wetland Economic Values into River Basin Management.

Milupi, I., Moonga, M., Namafe, C., Simooya, S., Monde, P., and Njungu, N. (2019). Climate Change Impacts, Vulnerability, and Adaptation Options among the Lozi Speaking People in the Barotse Floodplain of Zambia. International Journal of Humanities Social Sciences and Education 6. 149 – 157.

MLNREP – Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and Environmental Protection. (2016). National Policy on Climate Change, Lusaka, Zambia, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources and Environmental Protection.

NHCC – National Heritage Conservation Commission (2009). The Barotse Cultural Landscape. Available https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5428/

Seyam, I., Hoekstra, A., Ngabirano, G. and H. Savenije. (2001). The value of freshwater wetlands in the Zambezi Basin. Paper presented at AWRA/ILWRI-University of Dundee International Specialty Conference on Globalisation and Water Resources Management: The Changing Value of Water.

Zimba, H., Banda, K., Chabala, A., Phiri, W., Selsam, P., Meinhardt, M., and Nyambe, I. (2018). Assessment of trends in inundation extent in the Barotse Floodplain, upper Zambezi River Basin: A remote sensing-based approach, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, Volume 15, pp 149-170.ISSN 2214-5818. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2018.01.002.

Research summary

PhD researcher: Agness Musutu

The Barotse floodplains still are a near-natural functioning flood-pulsed driven wetland (IUCN, 2003; NHCC, 2009; Zimba et al., 2018). However, there is growing concern about declining fish individual catches (Catch Per Unit Effort – CPUE), coupled with the increased use of inappropriate fishing methods and intense fishing pressure in highly populated (human) areas such as Mongu and Senanga districts on the Barotse floodplain (Tweddle, 2010). A report by CGIAR (2013) indicates that the current reduction in fish sizes and changes in fish composition in the Barotse floodplains, although poorly studied, is generally considered to indicate overfishing because of increased fishing pressure and ineffective fisheries management. Therefore, to conserve the floodplain fishery properly, it is important to improve our knowledge of its role for the fish communities as being a biodiversity component and an essential ecosystem service for the local population. Likewise, it is important to better understand how much the stakeholders and local communities know about the ecological functioning of the floodplains for fish, assuming that greater awareness of the functioning and how their activities impact the ecological functioning of the floodplain can contribute to better practices, policies, and wetland governance. Therefore, this research aims to acquire a better understanding of current changes in fish communities, using ecological fish data and fisher’s perceptions of habitat requirements of fishes, seasonal and long-term changes in these habitats, and fisheries interactions with the environment. The questions that will be addressed are as follows: What is the local knowledge and understanding of the natural functioning of the floodplain and the changing environmental conditions? What is the local understanding of how the changing environmental conditions both seasonal and long-term are affecting the fish communities? How do fisher communities and other stakeholders cope with and respond to the changing environmental conditions of the floodplain and its fishery? How do they learn from each other, gain knowledge and understanding, and adapt their practices? and How do these responses influence the fishers’ and other stakeholders’ fishing practices?

References:

NHCC – National Heritage Conservation Commission (2009). The Barotse Cultural Landscape. Available https://whc.unesco.org/en/tentativelists/5428/

Tweddle, D. (2010). Overview of the Zambezi River System: its history, fish fauna, fisheries, and conservation. Aquatic Ecosystem Health and Management, 13(3), 224-240.