Banhine National Park, National park in Gaza Province, Mozambique
Banhine National Park is a protected area in Gaza Province, southern Mozambique, covering a vast stretch of inland wetlands, floodplains, and lagoons. These water-rich habitats draw many migratory bird species and aquatic wildlife that depend on the seasonal flooding.
The park was established in 1973 to protect giraffe and ostrich populations that lived in the area. The civil conflicts of the 1980s caused a sharp decline in wildlife across the region.
Local communities grow maize, sorghum, and cassava within parts of the park, sharing the land with the wildlife around them. This mixed use shapes how the landscape looks and how people relate to this protected area today.
A four-wheel-drive vehicle is needed to get around the park, particularly when the ground is wet and the tracks are soft. The dry season, which runs from April to October, generally makes travel easier and wildlife easier to spot.
Among the fish found in the park's waters is the African lungfish, which can survive when surface water disappears by burrowing into the mud and entering a dormant state. It can stay alive for months with no open water, making it one of the toughest vertebrates on the planet.
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