See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.net/publication/313698201 Population and distribution of Wattled Cranes, Shoebills, and other large waterbirds in the Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia Technical Report · February 2003 DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.26628.32647 CITATIONS READS 3 310 4 authors, including: Richard Beilfuss International Crane Foundation 85 PUBLICATIONS 383 CITATIONS SEE PROFILE Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects: Developing the capacity to improve private lands management for conservation. View project Zambezi River Delta conservation and management View project All content following this page was uploaded by Richard Beilfuss on 14 February 2017. The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file. Population and distribution of Wattled Cranes, Shoebills, and other large waterbirds in the Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia WORKING PAPER #5 ZAMBIA CRANE AND WETLAND CONSERVATION PROJECT Bernard Kamweneshe Richard Beilfuss Kevin McCann Paul Zyambo February 2003 International Crane Foundation WORKING PAPERS OF THE ZAMBIA CRANE AND WETLAND CONSERVATION PROJECT 1. Population and distribution of Wattled Cranes and other large waterbirds on the Kafue Flats, Zambia (Kamweneshe and Beilfuss 2002) 2. Population and distribution of Kafue Lechwe and other large mammals on the Kafue Flats, Zambia (Kamweneshe, Beilfuss, and Simukonda 2002) 3. Wattled Cranes, waterbirds, and large mammals of the Lukanga Swamp, Zambia (Kamweneshe and Beilfuss 2002) 4. Population and distribution of Wattled Cranes and other large waterbirds and large mammals on the Liuwa Plains National Park, Zambia (Kamweneshe, Beilfuss, and Morrison 2003) 5. Population and distribution of Wattled Cranes, Shoebills, and other large waterbirds in the Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia (Kamweneshe, Beilfuss, McCann, and Zyambo 2003) ii TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................ iv FOREWORD............................................................................................... iv 1.0 Introduction..........................................................................................1 2.0 Overview of the Bangweulu Swamps......................................................4 2.1 Climate and hydrology of the Bangweulu Swamps..........................5 2.2 Vegetation of the Bangweulu Swamps ............................................6 3.0 Survey methods ....................................................................................8 4.0 Results................................................................................................10 5.0 Disscussion ........................................................................................17 5.1 Population trends .........................................................................17 5.2 Population structure.....................................................................19 6.0 Shoebills and other waterbirds of international concern.......................20 6.1 Shoebill (Baleniceps rex) ...............................................................20 6.2 Grey Crowned Cranes (Balearica regulorum)..................................21 6.3 Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor) ........................................21 6.4 Ducks (Anatidae) ..........................................................................22 6.5 Storks (Ciconiidae)........................................................................22 7.0 Conservation of Wattled Cranes and other waterbirds at Bangweulu....23 8.0 References ..........................................................................................24 iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS We are especially grateful to the Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund and the Whitley Foundation for providing core funding for the Zambia Crane and Wetland Conservation Project and the aerial surveys described in this report. The International Crane Foundation and South Africa Crane Working Group also provided additional funding and in-kind support. We are very grateful to Dave Gunns of Dullstroom, South Africa, for generously volunteering his plane and piloting skills for the July 2002 aerial surveys. We wish to sincerely acknowledge the Zambia Wildlife Authority for their help in procuring the authority to fly over Bangweulu Basin from the Department of Civil Aviation and Zambia Airforce. We thank the World Wildlife Fund Country Office for their support of this project. Cover photos by Richard Beilfuss. FOREWORD The Zambia Crane and Wetlands Conservation Project (ZCWCP), under the auspices of the International Crane Foundation-USA and South Africa Crane Working Group, aims to conserve cranes and their wetland habitats in Zambia. The ZCWCP is part of a regional program that is investigating the role of Wattled Cranes as a flagship species for wetland conservation and management in Southern Africa. The ZCWCP works in close collaboration with other government and non-government organizations in Zambia, especially the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) Partners for Wetlands Program and the Zambia Wildlife Authority, for the benefit of the people and wildlife that share Zambia’s wetland resources. This report, "Population and distribution of Wattled Cranes, Shoebills, and other large waterbirds in the Bangweulu Swamps, Zambia" provides the results of a recent aerial survey to estimate the population and distribution of Wattled Cranes and other waterfowl of international importance in the Bangweulu Swamps. Views expressed in this report are intended to stimulate discussion and debate on the status of the wildlife and wetlands in Bangweulu Swamps in Zambia. Readers are encouraged to provide comments to the authors for incorporation into similar research in the future. iv 1.0 Introduction The Wattled Crane (Bugeranus carunculatus) is the largest, rarest, and most wetland-dependent of the African cranes, and is classified as a global endangered species. Most Wattled Cranes occur in the extensive floodplains of southern Africa’s large river basins (most notably the Zambezi and Okavango basins), although they are also found in the smaller isolated dambos of parts of Zambia, Zimbabwe, and South Africa (Figure 1). An isolated population of Wattled Cranes also occurs in the highlands of Ethiopia, and may soon be classified as genetically distinct sub-species (Ken Jones, pers. comm.). Figure 1. Distribution of Wattled Cranes (shaded area) in southern Africa, showing core population in the floodplains of Zambia and northern Botswana extending to south-eastern Angola, south-eastern DRC, western Tanzania, central Mozambique, and north-eastern Namibia, with more isolated populations in the highlands of Ethiopia and South Africa (map taken from Bento 2002). 1 The current status of Wattled Cranes in Zambia and elsewhere in southern Africa is uncertain. Urban (1985, 1996) estimated the global population of Wattled Cranes at about 13,000-15,000 birds, with 7,000–11,000 birds occurring in Zambia. However, the IUCN (The World Conservation Union) Red Data Book suggests that the global population is only about 7,000 birds (Collar and Stuart 1985). A recent coordinated international survey effort in Botswana, Mozambique, South Africa, Tanzania, and Zambia suggests that the population is probably about 8,000, with no more than 4,500 Wattled Cranes in Zambia (Beilfuss et al. 2003). Wattled Cranes are distributed throughout most of Zambia (Figure 2), and are resident in all major wetland systems of Zambia. The Bangweulu Swamps, along with the Kafue Flats and the Liuwa Plain, are the most important wetlands for Wattled Cranes in Zambia and among the most important in Africa. Figure 2. Distribution of Wattled Cranes in Zambia, according to their recorded presence in quarter degree squares (from Dodman 1996). 2 The population of Wattled Cranes in the Bangweulu Swamps is of particular interest because the Bangweulu Basin is among the least disturbed large wetland systems in southern Africa. There are few developments and no major dams or water diversions in the headwaters draining to Lake Bangweulu and adjoining swamps, nor affecting outflows that eventually drain to the Congo River basin. The human population density is low across most of the swamps and primarily is limited to mobile fishing communities. In undisturbed floodplain systems elsewhere in Africa, the breeding cycle of Wattled Cranes has been linked to the natural flood cycles of rivers. Wattled Crane pairs are “triggered” to nest as floodwaters begin receding after peak flooding. Nesting in deep open water after the major flood rise and crest ensures that nests will be protected from predators and wildfires but will not be drowned by further rising floodwaters. As floodwaters slowly recede, Wattled Cranes raise their single chick on the pulse of exposed plant and insect life (Konrad 1981), especially tubers of the Eleocharis spike rushes (Beilfuss 2000, Bento 2002). When flooding patterns are erratic or mistimed due to water development projects, Wattled Crane pairs may not be induced by hydrologic conditions to initiate nesting. Where nesting is attempted, unanticipated water level rises can drown nests and food sources. Rapid water level drawdown in the floodplains may expose nests to wildfires and predators and limit food availability. Thus, the Bangweulu Swamps offer an excellent opportunity to assess the status and ecology of Wattled Cranes in a relatively undisturbed habitat. The limited development in the Bangweulu