Chitunta Plain (7179)
Zambia, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Chitunta Plain
Central coordinates: Latitude: -11.5000, Longitude: 24.3833
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1360 to 1400
Area of KBA (km2): 276.99793
Protected area coverage (%): 12.83
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site lies about 30 km north of Mwinilunga and comprises the lower half of the Chitunta river and a section of the Luakera, at the confluence of the two. Both flow through wide grasslands that are a mixture of dambo, flood-plain and dry plain. There are doubtless many similar sites in the district but this remains the best-known and most studied due to its accessibility. It is bisected by the Mwinilunga–Ikelenge road.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 3 for key species. This is the best known locality for Macronyx grimwoodi which is common in the wet grassland. Ploceus temporalis has a very restricted range in Zambia and breeds colonially in shrubs along the main channel of the Luakera. Jynx ruficollis is perhaps regular in the stunted miombo and has not been regularly recorded anywhere else in Zambia. Other birds include Mirafra angolensis, Hirundo nigrorufa and Cisticola dambo. Among species of global conservation concern, Gallinago media is a regular wintering visitor and Macronyx grimwoodi is a common breeding resident, while Circus macrourus is an irregular passage migrant and Grus carunculatus is an occasional visitor. Non-bird biodiversity: The butterfly Eicochrysops pinheyi, a Zambian endemic, and the endemic dragonfly
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | fisheries/aquaculture
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 100 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The site is not protected, but is relatively undisturbed. There is some subsistence fishing and cattle sometimes graze, but there would not appear to be any real threats at present.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |