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Liuwa Plain National Park is a national park in Zambia's Western Province. "Liuwa" means "plain" in the local Liuwa language, a dialect of Lozi language, and the plains originally served as a hunting ground for Lubosi Lewanika, the Litunga (king or paramount chief) of the Lozi people. The area was designated as a protected area by Lubosi Lewanika in the early 1880s, and as a national park in 1972, when Zambia's government took over management. The nonprofit conservation organization African Parks has managed Liuwa in partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife and the Barotse Royal Establishment since 2003.
The park's grasslands support a variety of large mammals, including tens of thousands of blue wildebeest, whose annual migration is Africa's second-largest. Frequently sighted large predators include the cheetah, spotted hyena, and lion, the most famous of which was a female resident called Lady Liuwa, who was the subject of a National Geographic documentary (The Last Lioness) before she died of natural causes in 2017. Lady Liuwa was the only remaining lion in the area, following years of excess hunting, prior to African Parks' assuming management and introducing additional lions to encourage the re-establishment of a pride. More than 300 bird species have been recorded in Liuwa, which has experienced limited tourism until recently. Animal populations have since stabilized, despite declines and local extinctions during the 1990s–2000s.
History
Before the national park was established, the area served as the hunting ground for Lubosi Lewanika (1842–1916), who was the Litunga (king or paramount chief) of the Lozi people in Barotseland between 1878 and 1916. Lubosi Lewanika designated Liuwa Plain as a protected area in the early 1880s.
National park designation was granted in 1972, and Zambia's government took over management. Despite gaining such status, increased human pressure led to an increase in poaching in the park. African Parks has managed the park in partnership with the Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) and the Barotse Royal Establishment (BRE) since 2003. Local interest in preserving the park and its wildlife has reportedly subsequently increased since management has improved and the area's connection to the Litunga was restored.
Tourism
Tourism to the park was limited until recently, with only 50 tourists visiting Liuwa in 2000, and less than 800 people reportedly visiting in 2014. African Parks and Norman Carr Safaris opened a luxury lodge and helicopter service, to make the park more accessible for tourists. The safari company worked with African Parks to fund the lodge, worth US$1.6 million. King Lewanika Lodge, named after the former Litunga, can accommodate fifteen guests and includes six villas, one of which has two bedrooms. In 2016, Proflight announced plans for regular flights between Lusaka and Kalabo, further improving access to the park.
Flora and fauna
Liuwa Plain lies within the Barotse Floodplain, and is bounded by the Luambimba River to the north and Luanginga River to the south. The park is prominently made up of a grassland that measures approximately , scattered with raffia palms and woodlands. Recorded grass species include Echinochloa stagnina and Vossia cuspidata , which are important for grazing herbivores, as well as Baikiaea plurijuga Guibourtia coleosperma, Peltophorum africanum, Terminalia sericea, and various types of Hyphaene.
Mammals
Liuwa is home to a variety of mammals, including buffalo, common eland, common tsessebe, oribi, red lechwe, reedbuck, roan antelope, and migrating blue wildebeest, which gather in the tens of thousands. Liuwa's wildebeest migration is the second-largest in Africa.
A survey conducted in 1991 recorded population estimates of 30,000 blue wildebeest, 800 tsessebe, 1,000 zebra, and 10,000 other large mammals, including buffalo, eland, oribi, red lechwe, reedbuck, and sitatunga. Subsequent surveys suggested major population declines, with possible eradication of buffalo, eland, Lichtenstein's hartebeest, and roan antelope. However, improved protections since 2003 has stabilized populations. Eland and buffalo have been reintroduced, and the zebra population has increased to over 4,000 individuals.