About our park
Lusenga plains National Park is a relatively medium sized Park of 880 Square Kilometres mainly located in the northern corner of Kawambwa District of Luapula Province of the Republic of Zambia. Formerly a Game Reserve it was declared a National Park in 1972. The name of the Park is derived from an oval shaped open plain located in the south western corner of the park. This feature rising to approximately 1,300 metres above sea level is the highest point of the Park. The Park receives above 1,500 mm of rainfall per year which is one of the highest in the country. This has characterized dense vegetation of wet miombo and mishitu, a gem for carbon sequestration with a potential for tapping into carbon trading funds. On the eastern side it is bordered by the Kalungwishi River on which three beautiful and attractive waterfalls are found, namely Lumangwe, Kabwelume and Kundabwika Falls.
For many years the area was given a low priority listing for protection. At one stage many wildlife security camps were closed and Wildlife Police Officers (WPOs) taken to other national parks. As a consequence of this low priory listing, wildlife populations became understocked. Wildlife depleted as a result of commercial and subsistence poaching supported by local communities, agricultural practices and fish exploitation. Illegal bush meat trade is largely responsible for the serious decline of most wildlife populations. The larger mammals currently sighted by patrol teams include Zebra, Buffalo, Eland, Sable and Roan Antelope, Common Duiker and Baboon.
In 2004 the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) embarked on a program to develop a General Management Plan and to secure the entire perimeter of the Park by re-opening and establishing new wildlife police officers outposts. In 2007 a program of restocking the Park commenced. Three species namely , Zebra, Puku and Impala were introduced to the depleted park. This restocking exercise was funded by the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Additional species will be translocated to the park including 160 elephants donated by the Sabi Sands Game Reserve in South Africa.
The current status of Lusenga Plains National Park as a tourist destination is very low owing to the low animal numbers and species diversity. Enhanced protection of the Park combined with game restocking would be required to allow the Animal numbers to increase. This is achievable in the medium to long term.
