Mweru wa Ntipa. 02/02/07; Northern Province; 490,000 ha; 08°52'S 29°47'E. Includes National Park, Game Management Areas. The main features are rivers, swamps, and the Lake Mweru wa Ntipa basin, which is surrounded by flat wetland plains with itigi thickets and miombo woodlands. Riverine evergreen forests (with Ficus bussei, Ficus sycomorus, Trichilia emetica and Acacia adenocalyx) are found on the river and lake shores. This diversity of habitats makes the site a home to more than 390 bird species such as the Wattled crane, Shoebill, Black stork, and Goliath's Heron. Mammal species found here include the slender-snouted crocodile (Crocodylus cataphractus), wild dog (Lycaon pictus) and Elephant (Loxodonta Africana). The Mweru wa Ntipa lake records a number of indigenous fish species like the Green-Headed Bream (Oreochromis macrochir), Cat Fish (Auchenoglanis occidentalis), Mweru sardine (Poecilothrissa moeruensis) and Sharp Toothed Barbel (Clarias mossambicus). Fishing and cultivation of sorghum, millet, cassava, and rice in the swampy areas are major activities of local inhabitants. The problem of unsustainable fishing persists within the site and hopefully the implementation of the management plan for the the Mweru wa Ntipa National Park, as well as better enforcement of the fish bans during spawning periods, may help curb this. Ramsar site no. 1661. Most recent RIS information: 2007.

Northern Province