Cameia National Park is a

national park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

in the Moxico province of

Angola , national_anthem = " Angola Avante"() , image_map = , map_caption = , capital = Luanda , religion = , religion_year = 2020 , religion_ref = , coordina ...

, located at about 1100 m above sea level. Covering a surface of 14.450 km. It shares its name with the nearby municipality of

Cameia Lumeje (or Cameia) is a municipality in Moxico Province, Angola. The seat of the municipality is Lumeje Kameia. It is notable for its national park. Lumeje and Lucano form the boundaries of the park. Cameia National Park was established as a game ...

. The

–

Luacano Luacano is a town and municipality in Moxico Province, Angola. The municipality had a population of 20,755 in 2014. The Luacano River (''Rio Luacano'') flows past the town to the west before entering the Kasai River, which forms the border between ...

road forms the northern boundary of the park with the Chifumage River forming the southern portion of the eastern boundary and the Lumege and Luena rivers the south-western boundary. Much of the park consists of seasonally inundated plains that form part of the

Zambezi river The Zambezi River (also spelled Zambeze and Zambesi) is the fourth-longest river in Africa, the longest east-flowing river in Africa and the largest flowing into the Indian Ocean from Africa. Its drainage basin covers , slightly less than hal ...

basin, with the northern half of the park draining into the Chifumage river. There are also extensive miombo woodlands, similar to those in the Zambezi basin of western

Zambia Zambia (), officially the Republic of Zambia, is a landlocked country at the crossroads of Central Africa, Central, Southern Africa, Southern and East Africa, although it is typically referred to as being in Southern Africa at its most cent ...

. The park is a sample of nature not occurring elsewhere in Angola. Two lakes, Lago Cameia and Lago Dilolo (the largest lake in Angola) lie outside the

park A park is an area of natural, semi-natural or planted space set aside for human enjoyment and recreation or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. Urban parks are urban green space, green spaces set aside for recreation inside t ...

boundaries and both have extensive

reedbed A reedbed or reed bed is a natural habitat found in floodplains, waterlogged depressions and estuaries. Reedbeds are part of a succession from young reeds colonising open water or wet ground through a gradation of increasingly dry ground. As ...

s and grassy swamps that are rich in aquatic birds.

History

The area now known as Cameia National Park was established as a

game reserve A game reserve (also known as a wildlife preserve or a game park) is a large area of land where wild animals live safely or are hunted in a controlled way for sport. If hunting is prohibited, a game reserve may be considered a nature reserve; ...

in 1938 and as a

National Park A national park is a nature park, natural park in use for conservation (ethic), conservation purposes, created and protected by national governments. Often it is a reserve of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that a sovereign state dec ...

in 1957. The wildlife in the park has been almost completely wiped out after the

civil war A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

wrought devastation to the park, including uncontrolled

poaching Poaching has been defined as the illegal hunting or capturing of wild animals, usually associated with land use rights. Poaching was once performed by impoverished peasants for subsistence purposes and to supplement meager diets. It was set a ...

and the destruction of infrastructure. There is a serious lack of staff, resources and support for the park.

References

External links

Birdlife.org profile of the park

Cameia National Park Updates
Angolan miombo woodlands

Cameia National Park Cameia National Park is a national park in the Moxico province of Angola, located at about 1100 m above sea level. Covering a surface of 14.450 km. It shares its name with the nearby municipality of Cameia. The Cameia– Luacano road forms the n ...

Protected areas established in 1938 1938 establishments in Angola Moxico Province Central Zambezian miombo woodlands {{Africa-protected-area-stub

History

See also

References

External links