Bwabwata National Park is a protected area in northeastern Namibia. It was created in 2007 and covers 6,274 km² (2,422 square miles). The park was formed by combining Namibia's Caprivi Game Park and Mahango Game Park. It is located in the Zambezi and Kavango East regions, stretching along the Caprivi Strip. The park is bordered by the Okavango River to the west and the Kwando River to the east. Angola is to the north, and Botswana is to the south.

This area is an important migration path for African elephants and other wildlife traveling between Botswana and Angola. It is a unique protected area because about 5,500 people live within its boundaries. The Namibian government works with local residents and nearby communities to plan and manage the park.

History

The area was first named Caprivi Nature Park in 1963. It was later called Caprivi Game Reserve in 1966 and changed its name again to Caprivi Game Park in 1968. During Namibia’s war of liberation, the South African Defence Force took control of the area. Conservation workers could not enter or manage the park because of military activities.

The Defence Force left the area shortly before Namibia gained independence from South Africa in 1990. The Namibian Government then asked experts to study the plants and animals in the region. Plans were made to protect biodiversity while also supporting the 5,500 people who lived in the park.

In 1989, Mahango Game Reserve was established to the west of the park. In 2007, the Caprivi Game Park, Mahango Game Reserve, and an area along the Cuando River that had not yet been officially named were combined to form Bwabwata National Park.

On November 29, 2013, LAM Mozambique Airlines Flight 470 was intentionally crashed by the pilot in the park, resulting in the deaths of all 33 passengers and crew on board.

Geography and access

The park stretches 40 kilometers from north to south and 190 kilometers from west to east. Bwabwata is located in the Caprivi and Kavango regions, stretching along the Caprivi Strip. It is surrounded by the Okavango River to the west and the Kwando River to the east. Angola is to the north, and Botswana is to the south.

The main road connecting the towns of Rundu and Katima Mulilo, called the Trans-Caprivi Highway (B8), passes through Bwabwata. This road links Namibia to Botswana, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. A smaller road (C48) crosses Mahango from north to south and connects Namibia to Botswana.

Small communities are located at both ends of the park: Kongola in the east and Divundu in the west.

The park is mostly unfenced, but the southern border with Botswana has three veterinary standard fences. These fences help stop the spread of cattle diseases, such as Foot-and-mouth disease.

Biology and ecology

Bwabwata is located in the Tree and Shrub Savanna biome. The types of plants and trees include North-eastern Kalahari Woodland, Caprivi Mopane Woodland, Riverine Woodlands and Islands, Okavango Valley, and Caprivi Floodplains. The landscape has low-growing plants on sandy hills, with old water channels (Omiramba) between them.

Bwabwata is an important area that helps animals move between Angola, Botswana, Namibia, and Zambia.

Common trees in the area include Zambezi teak (Baikiaea plurijuga), wild seringa (Burkea africana), African teak (Pterocarpus angolensis), manketti (Schinziophyton rautanenii), false mopane (Guibourtia coleosperma), camelthorn tree (Acacia erioloba), jackalberry (Diospyros mespiliformis), and makalani palm (Hyphaene petersiana).

Many rare large animals and birds live in Bwabwata. Elephants often travel between Namibia, Angola, Botswana, and Zambia. Other animals found here include Cape buffalo, hippopotamus, roan antelope, sable antelope, tsessebe, zebra, wildebeest, common reedbuck, red lechwe, sitatunga, and crocodile. Major predators in the area are lion, leopard, cheetah, and spotted hyena.

The Mahango Area and Kavango River in western Bwabwata are listed as an important area for birds, supporting species that are at risk of disappearing. This region has a high number of bird species, including black-winged pratincole, slaty egret, wattled crane, African skimmer, African pygmy-goose, coppery-tailed coucal, white-backed night heron, rufous-bellied heron, Allen's gallinule, Dickinson's kestrel, black-faced babbler, swamp boubou, collared palm thrush, Meves's starling, southern ground hornbill, barred owlet, Bennett's woodpecker, wood owl, various warblers, and cisticolas.

A long-term study from 1996 to 2019 showed that the variety of plant and animal life in Bwabwata has decreased because of the growth of woody plants.

Fires

Fires happen almost every year and are mostly caused by people and lightning. Although fires are a natural event in these savannas, having too many fires or too few fires can harm plants and animals. A managed burning program tries to lower how often and how strong the fires are.

Recreation

Visitors who drive off the main road must have a permit and can only use roads that are allowed. Near the Kwando and Okavango rivers, there are several sandy roads that work best with vehicles that have all-wheel drive.

Bwabwata has three campsites within the park, named Nǁgoabaca, Nambwa, and Bum Hill. These campsites are run by local communities that are part of groups called communal area conservancies. These groups make money from the campsites. Outside the park, near its edges, there are several lodges. Tour companies provide activities such as game drives, boat trips, and walking tours inside the Park.

Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area

Angola, Botswana, Namibia, Zambia, and Zimbabwe have worked together to manage wildlife protection across their shared borders through the Kavango–Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area (KaZa TFCA). Bwabwata is located in the middle of the KaZa TFCA and helps elephants move from Botswana into Angola and Zambia.

Park management

To help the people who live in Bwabwata, the Namibian Government uses a method called integrated park management. The park has different areas: some are for protecting nature, and others are for farming. Three areas are protected for special care and limited tourism. These are Kwando (1,345 square kilometers (519 sq mi)), Buffalo (629 square kilometers (243 sq mi)), and Mahango (245 square kilometers (95 sq mi)). A large area called the Multiple Use Area (4,055 square kilometers (1,566 sq mi)) is used for community-based tourism, hunting for trophies, farming, and human settlements.

Most people living in the park are from the Khwe San bushmen group. Many live in Omega village, located in the center of the park, and in smaller nearby settlements. These residents created the Kyaramacan Association to speak for their needs. The Kyaramacan Association manages money from tourism (such as the Nǁgoabaca campsite and a small lodge), trophy hunting, and the sale of devil’s claw (Harpagophytum procumbens), a plant sold worldwide to help with pain and fever.

The Namibian Government, through the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, works with local communities to manage Bwabwata National Park. A group of experts from government departments, conservancies, community forests, and non-governmental organizations gives advice to the Minister of Environment and Tourism. Local community members who protect wildlife (called game guards) work with government staff to stop poaching.

One way to manage the park’s environment is through fire management. Past efforts to control fires have not been successful.

Park development

Bwabwata is one of five national parks located in the north-eastern region of Namibia. It is shared in management with Mangetti, Khaudum National Park, Mudumu National Park, and Nkasa Rupara (formerly Mamili National Park).

Since 2006, the NamParks Project (formerly BMM Parks Project), partly funded by the Federal Republic of Germany through KfW, has helped create management and tourism plans for these parks. The project has also built new park offices and housing for staff in the north-eastern parks, including Bwabwata. It has introduced land uses that support the parks and established ways for local communities and park managers to work together. Key goals include protecting important habitats, preserving paths for wildlife to move between areas, providing income for people living nearby, and growing tourism opportunities.