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Gorongosa National Park

Coordinates:18°45′58″S34°30′00″E/ 18.766°S 34.500°E/-18.766; 34.500
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Gorongosa National Park
Entrance to Gorongosa National Park
Map
LocationMozambique
Coordinates18°45′58″S34°30′00″E/ 18.766°S 34.500°E/-18.766; 34.500
Area3,770 km2(1,460 sq mi)
Gorongosa National Park is located in Mozambique
Gorongosa National Park
Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique)

Gorongosa National Parkis at the southern end of theGreat African Rift Valleyin the heart of centralMozambique,Southeast Africa.The more than 4,000 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi) park comprises the valley floor and parts of surroundingplateaus.Rivers originating on nearbyMount Gorongosa(1,863 m (6,112 ft)) water the plain.

Seasonal flooding and waterlogging of the valley, which is composed of a mosaic of soil types, creates a variety of distinct ecosystems. Grasslands are dotted with patches ofacacia trees,savannah,dry forest on sands and seasonally rain-filled pans, and termite hill thickets. The plateaus containmiomboandmontane forestsand a spectacularrain forestat the base of a series of limestone gorges.

This combination of unique features at one time supported some of the densest wildlife populations in all of Africa, including charismaticcarnivores,herbivores,and over 500 bird species. But large mammal numbers were reduced by as much as 95% and ecosystems were stressed during theMozambican Civil War(1977-1992).

The Carr Foundation/Gorongosa Restoration Project, a U.S. non-profit organization, has teamed with theGovernment of Mozambiqueto protect and restore the ecosystem of Gorongosa National Park and to develop anecotourismindustry to benefit local communities.[1]

History

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Hunting reserve: 1920–1959

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The first official act to protect the Gorongosa region,Portuguese Mozambique,came in 1920 when theMozambique Companyordered 1,000 square km set aside as a hunting reserve for company administrators and their guests. Chartered by the government ofPortugal,theMozambique Companycontrolled all of centralMozambiquebetween 1891 and 1940.

In 1935, Mr. Jose Henriques Coimbra was named warden and Jose Ferreira became the reserve's first guide. That same year the Mozambique Company enlarged the reserve to 3,200 square km to protect habitat fornyalaandblack rhino,both highly prized hunting trophies. By 1940 the reserve had become so popular that a new headquarters and tourist camp was built on the floodplain near theMussicadzi River.Unfortunately, it had to be abandoned two years later due to heavy flooding in the rainy season.Lionsthen occupied the abandoned building and it became a popular tourist attraction for many years, known as Casa dos Leões (Lion House).[2][3]

National park: 1960–1980

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Waterbucks

Many improvements to the new park's trails, roads, and buildings ensued. Between 1963 and 1965 Chitengo camp was expanded to accommodate 100 overnight guests. By the late 1960s, it had two swimming pools, a bar and banquet hall, a restaurant serving 300-400 meals a day, a post office, a petrol station, a first-aid clinic, and a shop selling local handicrafts.

The late 1960s also saw the first comprehensive scientific studies of the park, led by Armando Rosinha, Director of Gorongosa, andKenneth Tinley,an Australianecologist.In the first-ever aerial survey, Tinley and his team counted about 200lions,2,200elephants,14,000African buffalo,5,500wildebeest,3,000zebras,3,500waterbuck,2,000impala,3,500hippos,and herds ofeland,sable antelopeandhartebeestnumbering more than 500.

Tinley also discovered that many people and most of the wildlife living in and around the park depended on one river, theVundudzi,which originated on the slopes of the nearbyMount Gorongosa.Because the mountain was outside the park's boundaries, Tinley proposed expanding them to include it as a key element in a "Greater Gorongosa Ecosystem" of about 8,200 square kilometers. He and other scientists and conservationists were disappointed in 1966 when the government reduced the park's area to 3,770 square kilometers.[4]

Meanwhile, Mozambique was in the midst of a war for independence launched in 1964 by theMozambique Liberation Front(Frelimo). Fortunately, the war had little impact on Gorongosa National Park until 1972, when a Portuguese company and members of the Provincial Volunteer Organization were stationed there to protect it. Even then, not much damage occurred, although some soldiers hunted illegally. In 1974, theCarnation RevolutioninLisbonoverthrew theEstado Novoregime. When the new Portuguese authorities decided to abdicate power in their overseas territories, Mozambique became an independent republic. In 1976, a year after Mozambique won its independence from Portugal, aerial surveys of the park and adjacent Zambezi River delta counted thousands of elephants in the region and a healthy population of lions, numbering in the hundreds. It was the largest lion population recorded in the greater Gorongosa region to date.

Civil war: 1981–1994

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Grey crowned cranes

In 1977, thePeople's Republic of Mozambique,under the leadership ofSamora Macheldeclared itself aMarxist-Leninist state.[5]A rebel army known asRENAMOsprung up to oppose the new government. Feeling threatened byFRELIMO's newone-party governmentin Mozambique, neighbouringRhodesiaandSouth Africabegan arming and supplying RENAMO.[6]Once Rhodesia becameZimbabwein 1980, direct support for RENAMO came from South Africa with the intention of destabilizing Machel's government. Initially dismissed by Machel as a group of "armed bandits", RENAMO's war developed into a full-scale national threat by 1981.[7]In December 1981 theMozambican National Resistance(MNR, or RENAMO) fighters attacked the Chitengo campsite and kidnapped several staff members, including two foreign scientists. TheMozambican Civil Warlasted from 1977 to 1992.

The violence increased in and around the park after that. In 1983 the park was shut down and abandoned. For the next nine years Gorongosa was the scene of frequent battles between opposing forces. Fierce hand-to-hand fighting and aerial bombing destroyed buildings and roads. The park's large mammals suffered huge losses. Both sides in the conflict slaughtered hundreds ofelephantsfor their ivory, selling it to buy arms and supplies. Half of Gorongosa's elephants evolved to be tuskless.[8]Hungry soldiers shot many more thousands ofzebras,wildebeest,African buffalo,and otherungulates.[9]Lions survived the war, but several species of top carnivore—leopard,African wild dog,andspotted hyena—were driven locally extinct.[10][11][12]

A cease-fire agreement ended the civil war in 1992 but widespread hunting in the park continued for at least two more years.[3][13]By that time many large mammal populations—including elephants,hippos,buffalo, zebras, and lions had been reduced by more than 95 percent. An aerial survey conducted in 1994 over 68 km2of the park counted just 5 elephants, 6 waterbuck, 3 zebra, 12 reedbuck, and 1 oribi; buffalo and sable were not detected in aerial surveys until 2001, wildebeest until 2007, and eland until 2010.[12]

Young malebushbuck

Post-war: 1995–2003

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A preliminary effort to rebuild Gorongosa National Park's infrastructure and restore its wildlife began in 1994 when theAfrican Development Bank(ADB) started work on a rehabilitation plan with assistance from theEuropean Unionand theInternational Union for Conservation of Nature(IUCN). Fifty new staff were hired, most of them former soldiers.[3]

Restoration: 2004-present

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In 2004 the Government of Mozambique and the US-based Carr Foundation agreed to work together to rebuild the park's infrastructure, restore its wildlife populations and spur local economic development—opening an important new chapter in the park's history.[1]

Since the beginning of the project, aerial surveys of wildlife have shown sharp increases in the number of large animals.[14][9]

In the aftermath of the 2019Cyclone Idai,park rangers conducted rescue missions using their helicopter, boat, and tractor.[15]According to Gorongosa Project presidentGregory Carr,the park was "right in the middle of the impacted area". Roughly half the park was flooded due to the cyclone, but impacts to wildlife were expected to be minimal as the animals would be able to migrate to higher ground. The protection of this area was cited as a reason that the impacts of the flood on the human population were less severe, as the protected wilderness area can moderate the flow of water.[16]

In March 2018, a leopard was captured on a park camera after 14 years, and additional leopards were reintroduced starting in 2020.[17][18][19]In July 2018 and November 2019, two packs ofAfrican wild dogsfrom South Africa were reintroduced.[10][20][21]Spotted hyena reintroductions began in July 2022.[22]

Ecology

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Geology

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The park is in a 4,000-square-km section of theGreat African Rift Valleysystem. The Rift extends fromEthiopiato central Mozambique. Massivetectonic shiftsbegan forming the Rift about 30 million years ago. Other warpings, uplifts, and sinkings of the Earth's crust over millennia shaped the plateaus on both sides and the mountain to the west. Mozambique's tropicalsavannaclimate, with an annual cycle of wet and dry seasons, has added another factor to the complex equation: constant change in soil moisture that varies with elevation. The valley is located 21 km west of Mount Gorongosa at 14 m above sea level.

Hydrology

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Lake Urema in the dry season (late September)

Gorongosa National Park protects a vast ecosystem defined and shaped by the rivers that flow intoLake Urema.TheNhandunguecrosses theBarue Plateauon its way down to the valley. TheNhandueandMucombezecome from the north. Mount Gorongosa contributes the Vunduzi. Several smaller rivers pour down off theCheringoma Plateau.Together they comprise theUrema Catchment,an area of about 7,850 square km.

Lake Urema is located in the middle of the valley, about three-quarters of the way down from the Park's northern boundary. TheMuaredzi River,flowing from the Cheringoma Plateau, deposits sediments near the outlet of the lake slowing its drainage. This "plug" causes theUrema Riverto greatly expand in the rainy season. Water that makes its way past thisalluvial fanflows down the Urema River to thePungueand into theIndian Ocean.In the flooded rainy season, water backs up into the valley and out onto the plains, covering as much as 200 square km in many years. During some dry seasons, the lake's waters shrink to as little as 10 square km. This constant expansion and retraction of the floodplains, amidst a patchwork ofsavanna,woodland,and thickets, creates a complex mosaic of smaller ecosystems that support a greater abundance and diversity of wildlife than anywhere else in the park.

Vegetation

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Scientists have identified three main vegetation types supporting the Gorongosa ecosystem's wealth of wildlife. Seventy-six percent issavanna— combinations of grasses and woody species that favor well-drained soils. Fourteen percent iswoodlands— several kinds of forest and thickets. The rest isgrasslandssubjected to harsh seasonal conditions that prevent trees from growing. All three types are found throughout the system, with many different sub-types and varieties. Tree cover increased throughout the park in the decades following theMozambican Civil War,likely due to the dramatic declines of large herbivores such aselephantsduring that period.[23]

Mount Gorongosa hasrainforests,montane grasslands, riverine forests along its rivers, and forests and savanna woodlands at lower elevations. Both plateaus are covered with a kind of closed-canopysavanna,widespread in southern Africa, called "miombo",after the Swahili word for the dominant tree, a member of the genusBrachystegia.About 20 percent of the valley'sgrasslandsare flooded much of the year.[24]

Mount Gorongosa

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In July 2010 the government of Mozambique and the Gorongosa Restoration Project (headed by the U.S.–based Carr Foundation) announced that Gorongosa Mountain would be added to the park bringing its total size to 4067 km2.[25]This designation has contributed to an ongoing conflict between long-term residents of the mountain and representatives of the park.[26]

Wildlife

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Warthogs

Gorongosa is home to a large diversity of animals and plants—some of which are found nowhere else in the world. This rich biodiversity creates a complex world where animals, plants and people interact. From the smallestinsectsto the largestmammals,each plays an important role in the Gorongosa ecosystem. The park includestermite moundsused as shade bybushbuckandkudu.[27]

Many of the park's largeherbivorepopulations were greatly reduced by years of war and poaching. However, almost all naturally occurring species—including more than 400 kinds ofbirdsand a wide variety ofreptiles—have survived.

See also

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References

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  1. ^abPringle, Robert M. (2017). "Upgrading protected areas to conserve wild biodiversity".Nature.546(7656): 91–99.Bibcode:2017Natur.546...91P.doi:10.1038/nature22902.PMID28569807.S2CID4387383.
  2. ^"The Lion House".Atlas Obscura.Retrieved20 October2022.
  3. ^abcMorley, R; Convery, Ian (2014)."Restoring Gorongosa: Some Personal Reflections".Displaced Heritage Responses to Disaster, Trauma, and Loss:129–142.
  4. ^Tinley, Ken L. (1977).Framework of the Gorongosa Ecosystem.University of Pretoria.
  5. ^William Finnegan,A Complicated War: The Harrowing of Mozambique,Volume 47 of Perspectives on Southern Africa; University of California Press, 1993.ISBN0520082664
  6. ^Alex Vines,Renamo: Terrorism in Mozambique,Centre for Southern African Studies, University of York, 1991.ISBN0253288800
  7. ^Michael Radu,The New Insurgencies: Anti-Communist Guerrillas in the Third World,A Foreign Policy Research Institute book; Transaction Publishers, 1990.ISBN1412838002
  8. ^Campbell-Staton, Shane C.; Arnold, Brian J.; Gonçalves, Dominique; Granli, Petter; Poole, Joyce; Long, Ryan A.; Pringle, Robert M. (22 October 2021)."Ivory poaching and the rapid evolution of tusklessness in African elephants".Science.374(6566): 483–487.doi:10.1126/science.abe7389.ISSN0036-8075.PMID34672738.S2CID239457948.
  9. ^ab"National Geographic Blog -".National Geographic Society.13 December 2018. Archived fromthe originalon 8 November 2020.two armies treating Gorongosa as a battlefield—and killing its wildlife for meat to feed soldiers and for ivory to buy arms
  10. ^abBouley, Paola; Paulo, Antonio; Angela, Mercia; Plessis, Cole Du; Marneweck, David G. (22 April 2021)."The successful reintroduction of African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus) to Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique".PLOS ONE.16(4): e0249860.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0249860.ISSN1932-6203.PMC8062010.PMID33886594.
  11. ^"War and Redemption in Gorongosa".American Scientist.6 February 2017.Archivedfrom the original on 7 August 2020.
  12. ^abStalmans, Marc E.; Massad, Tara J.; Peel, Mike J. S.; Tarnita, Corina E.; Pringle, Robert M. (13 March 2019)."War-induced collapse and asymmetric recovery of large-mammal populations in Gorongosa National Park, Mozambique".PLOS ONE.14(3): e0212864.Bibcode:2019PLoSO..1412864S.doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0212864.ISSN1932-6203.PMC6415879.PMID30865663.
  13. ^Dutton, Paul (1994). "A dream becomes a nightmare: Mozambique's ferocious 15-year bush war has devastated a once rich and abundant wildlife".African Wildlife.48(6): 6–14.
  14. ^Dr. Marc Stalmans, Dr. Mike Peel and Dominique Goncalves."Aerial wildlife count of the Parque Nacional da Gorongosa, Mozambique, October 2018"(PDF).
  15. ^Mar 23, CBC Radio · Posted; March 23, 2019 8:46 AM ET | Last Updated."Park rangers in Mozambique stage a grassroots rescue effort following Cyclone Idai | CBC Radio".CBC.Retrieved23 March2019.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  16. ^Leahy, Steven (19 March 2019)."Why Cyclone Idai was so destructive".National Geographic.Archived fromthe originalon 20 March 2019.Retrieved25 March2019.
  17. ^"Return of Leopard to Gorongosa National Park (Mozambique)".Gorongosa National Park.Retrieved21 August2019.
  18. ^"Mozambique: Leopard seen in Gorongosa for the first time in 14 years".clubofmozambique.Retrieved21 August2019.
  19. ^Angier, Natalie (10 January 2021)."How This Spot (in Mozambique) Got Its Leopard".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved20 October2022.
  20. ^Angier, Natalie (23 July 2018)."In Mozambique, a Living Laboratory for Nature's Renewal".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved20 October2022.
  21. ^Angier, Natalie (3 August 2019)."Wild Pups Romp Again in an African Paradise".The New York Times.ISSN0362-4331.Retrieved20 October2022.
  22. ^"Go wild in these countries: five exciting rewilding projects to visit".the Guardian.26 June 2022.Retrieved20 October2022.
  23. ^Daskin, Joshua H.; Stalmans, Marc; Pringle, Robert M. (2016)."Ecological legacies of civil war: 35-year increase in savanna tree cover following wholesale large-mammal declines".Journal of Ecology.104:79–89.doi:10.1111/1365-2745.12483.
  24. ^Guyton, Jennifer A.; Pansu, Johan; Hutchinson, Matthew C.; Kartzinel, Tyler R.; Potter, Arjun B.; Coverdale, Tyler C.; Daskin, Joshua H.; da Conceição, Ana Gledis; Peel, Mike J. S.; Stalmans, Marc E.; Pringle, Robert M. (2020)."Trophic rewilding revives biotic resistance to shrub invasion".Nature Ecology & Evolution.4(5): 712–724.doi:10.1038/s41559-019-1068-y.ISSN2397-334X.PMID31932702.S2CID210169078.
  25. ^"Timeline".Gorongosa National Park. November 2012.
  26. ^Schuetze, Christy (2015)."Narrative Fortresses: Crisis Narratives and Conflict in the Conservation of Mount Gorongosa, Mozambique".Conservation and Society.13(2): 141–153.doi:10.4103/0972-4923.164193.
  27. ^Angier, Natalie (3 March 2015)."Termites: Guardians of the Soil".The New York Times.In Mozambique's Gorongosa National Park, antelope-like bushbuck and kudu often congregate around termite mounds, and not just for the grazing opportunities. 'The mounds are cooler in the heat of the day and warmer at night,' said Robert Pringle, an ecologist at Princeton and an author of the report in Science. 'They're a very pleasant place to hang out.'
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Wikivoyage has a travel guide forGorongosa National Park.
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