Lengwe National Park (6683)
Malawi, Africa

Site overview

KBA status: confirmed

Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1c, A2, B4

Year of last assessment: 2025

National site name: Lengwe National Park

Central coordinates: Latitude: -16.2209, Longitude: 34.5716

System: terrestrial, freshwater

Elevation (m): 100 to 393

Area of KBA (km²): 928.28652

Protected area coverage (%): 100.00

KBA classification: Global

Legacy site: Yes

Site details

Site description: Lengwe National Park (LNP) is located in Chikwawa District, in the southern region of Malawi, bordering Mozambique to the west. Initially established as a game reserve in 1928, it became a national park in 1970 covering 104 km2 commonly known as the Old Lengwe (Eastern Salient). The park was extended and gazetted at its current size in 1975. The park terrain consists of a flat plain in the eastern salient ranging from 60-150m (200-500 feet) above sea level transitioning to broken, hilly terrain at around 300m (1,000 feet) above sea level in the west. Features such as Panga (393m, 1,288ft), Chiforo (384m, 1,259 ft) and Dundamapu (341m, 1,118ft) stand out in the western upland. Managed by the Department of National Parks and Wildlife, LNP is recognized as an Important Bird and Biodiversity Area (IBA) and was confirmed as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) in 2011. The park is known for its northernmost natural population of nyala antelope (Tragelaphus angasii) in a discontinuous range which extends from Natal in South Africa through eastern Zimbabwe and central Mozambique to the southern end of Malawi. Other mammals at Lengwe include buffalo, impala, kudu, bushbuck, warthog, and hyena. It also supports rare bird species like the gorgeous bush shrike, white-backed vulture, Rudd's apalis, grey sunbird, and southern ground hornbill According to the Lengwe Management Plan, the park is home to 374 bird species, of which 203 were verified during 2020 surveys. Its natural vegetation comprises mixed woodlands, thickets, and grassy dambos. Lengwe has four endangered ecosystem types: Deciduous Forest and thicket, Edaphic grassland on drainage, North Zambezian undifferentiated woodland, and the Shire Catchment Rivers.

Rationale for qualifying as KBA: Lengwe National Park qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area (KBA) of international significance, with two bird species and one ecosystem meeting different thresholds of the global KBA standard. The two bird species are Gyps africanus, which meets criterion A1c and Terathopius ecaudatus meeting criteria A1a and A1c. The Shire Catchment Rivers ecosystem meets criterion A2a.

Additional biodiversity: Lengwe National Park is rich in biodiversity, harbouring some nationally endangered animal species such as pangolins (Smutsia temminckii), plant species such as mopane woodland and the northernmost natural population of Nyala antelope (Tragelaphus angasi). The Park hosts other large mammals including buffalo (Syncerus caffer), impala (Aepyceros melampus), kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros), bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), warthog (Phacochoerus africanus), hyena (Crocuta crocuta), red squirrel, suni (Neotragus moschatus), the tree hyrax (Dendrohyrax arboreus), and the night ape (Galago moholi). It is also home to 374 bird species including rare birds such as the gorgeous bush shrike (Telophorus viridis), rudd's apalis (Apalis ruddi), grey sunbird (Nectarinia veroxii), Woodwards' Batis (Batis fratrum), lemon-breasted canary (Crithagra citrinipectus), martial eagle (Polemaetus bellicosus), white-backed vulture (Gyps africanus), bateleur eagle (Terathopius ecaudatus), Madagascar pond-heron (Ardeola idae), and the southern ground-hornbill (Bucorvus leadbeateri).

Manageability of the site: Lengwe National Park is managed as a single unit by the Malawi Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW). Its management is guided by the National Wildlife Policy and the National Parks and Wildlife Act, ensuring sustainable conservation efforts both within and around the park. The park's operations are divided into four key management sections. Wildlife Management and Utilization focuses on the conservation and sustainable use of wildlife resources. Environmental Education and Community Extension engage local communities and promote awareness about conservation. Research and Development conducts monitoring activities to inform management decisions and improve conservation strategies. General Administration oversees overall park operations and resource management. These sections work together to ensure the effective protection and utilization of wildlife resources in the park.

Other site values: There are no Indigenous people or customary user rights inside the park. However, the primary land use outside the reserve is subsistence agriculture dominated by livestock production and smallholder cultivation. To the immediate east of the eastern Salient lies the Illovo sugar estate making a boundary with the park to a stretch of about 7.5 km. Surrounding communities are allowed to harvest resources such as thatch grass and fruits within designated resource use zones under the Resource Use Program (RUP). Communities are also allowed to hang bee hives within the resource use zone and the park provides technical advice and assists in monitoring. These initiatives aim to strengthen relations between the reserve and border communities, promoting conservation while improving community livelihoods

Delineation rationale: Align with the Lengwe National Park boundary (WDPA ID: 2315) and the boundary description in the Lengwe Park Plan of 2000 (annex 1, page 55). The current boundary was declared in its present form by the National Park (Establishment) (Amendment) Order 1975, dated 26 August 1975, and published as Government Notice No.149 of 1975.

Habitats

Summary of habitats in KBA: In general, the broad vegetation types in Lengwe range from "broad-leaved, relatively dry woodlands" and intergrades to "savanna" consisting of Mopane woodlands (11%), woodlands of fertile areas characterised by Adansonia/Cordyla/Faidherbe albida species (1%), thicket/savanna of poorer areas characterised by Combretum/Acacia species (18%), and woodland/savanna characterised by mixed species (71%). The eastern salient contains a substantial area of unique lowland thicket forest and various savanna and dambo habitats. The best-developed types of riparian forest are found along the Nkombedzi wa Fodya River on the northern boundary and the Makanga River in the south. The largest remaining block of thicket, about 5 km wide from west to east, provides a suitable habitat for the Nyala species. In contrast, the Western Upland mainly consists of mopane, Miombo and mixed woodlands but also includes important patches of thicket forest and savanna. The parks' ecosystem types fall into four categories: Deciduous Forest and thicket, Edaphic grassland on drainage, North Zambezian undifferentiated woodland, and the Shire Catchment Rivers such as Nkombedzi wa Fodya and Makanga.

Land use: Malawi's National Parks and Wildlife Act and the National Wildlife Policy regulate land management and utilization in the park, restricting the land to conservation purposes. The Resource Use Program (RUP) designated specific areas for controlled resource harvesting to balance ecological sustainability with resource use. For this reason, up to 5 km from the boundary inward are zoned for resource use, allowing regulated harvesting. Ranger camps, tourism infrastructure, environmental education centres, and office blocks are strategically positioned within utility areas where infrastructure development for management and visitor use purposes are allowed. About 220 km of road network facilitates management, monitoring, and tourism activities. The wilderness and semi-wilderness areas are reserved for wildlife conservation, with minimal infrastructure development permitted.

IUCN Habitat	Coverage %	Habitat detail
Savanna	10	Savanna - Dry
Shrubland	5	Shrubland – Subtropical/tropical dry
Forest	85	Forest – Subtropical/tropical dry

Threats

Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Population growth has intensified resource demand, driving habitat loss and wildlife poaching. The increasing incidents of charcoal production, illegal logging, timber harvesting, and encroachment through cultivation reflect unsustainable resource exploitation. Political influences exacerbate these pressures, contributing to habitat destruction. Late-season illegal wildfires, often caused by neighbouring communities, further damage the habitat. Additionally, the park’s western boundary with Mozambique, along with illegal roads, facilitates transboundary illegal logging of mopane and Combretum as well as wildlife trafficking of pangolins and ivory. Compounding these threats are the extreme impacts of climate change, such as persistent food insecurity, resulting in an overreliance on wildlife resources for livelihoods

Threat level 1	Threat level 2	Threat level 3	Timing
Biological resource use	Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals	Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target)	Ongoing
Biological resource use	Logging & wood harvesting	Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest]	Ongoing
Natural system modifications	Fire & fire suppression	Increase in fire frequency/intensity	Ongoing
Climate change & severe weather	Temperature extremes		Ongoing

Additional information

References: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2025), Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) and World Database on Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measures (WD-OECM) [Online], February 2025, Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net. DNPW. (2005). LENGWE NATIONAL PARK MANAGEMENT PLAN - 2000. Unpublished DNPW. (2021). Lengwe National Park – General Management Plan 2021 - 2025 Lengwe National Park – General Management Plan 2021- 2025. Unpublished