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58-652: Kafue National Park is the largest national park in Zambia , covering an area of about 22,400 km (similar in size to Wales or Massachusetts ). It is the second largest national park in Africa and is home to 152 different species of mammals. There are also 515 bird species, 70 reptile species, 58 species of fish and 36 amphibious species. The park is named for the Kafue River . It stretches over three provinces: North Western , Central and Southern . The main access

116-425: A magnificent park ... A nation's Park , containing man and beast, in all the wild and freshness of their nature's beauty!" The first effort by the U.S. Federal government to set aside such protected lands was on 20 April 1832, when President Andrew Jackson signed legislation that the 22nd United States Congress had enacted to set aside four sections of land around what is now Hot Springs, Arkansas , to protect

174-445: A "national park" simply describes a general area that is relatively undeveloped, scenic, and attracts tourists, with some form of planning restrictions to ensure it maintains those characteristics. There may be substantial human settlements within the bounds of a national park. Conversely, parks that meet the criteria may be not be referred to as "national parks". Terms like "preserve" or "reserve" may be used instead. Starting in 1735

232-473: A 20-year agreement to manage Kafue. The country is generally flat or gently undulating apart from some small, steep porphyritic granite hills between Chonga and Ngoma and occasional sandstone and granite hills around Ngoma rising to 120 m (390 ft). The southwestern part of the Hook granite massif underlies the central part of the park, including schist , gneiss , granite-gneiss and granite. On

290-653: A few of the largest Nile crocodiles in southern Africa. There are also monitor lizards in the park. Kafue National Park is designated an Important Bird Area by BirdLife International. There are over 500 recorded bird species. The Chaplin's barbet , Zambia's only endemic bird, is rated as vulnerable by the IUCN . More birds include Pel's fishing owl , the black-cheeked lovebird , the African finfoot , Böhm's bee-eaters , paradise flycatchers , and sunbirds , and numerous kingfisher species. The Busanga swamps are home to

348-740: A few. John Muir is today referred to as the "Father of the National Parks" due to his work in Yosemite. He published two influential articles in The Century Magazine , which formed the base for the subsequent legislation. President Abraham Lincoln signed an Act of Congress on 1 July 1864, ceding the Yosemite Valley and the Mariposa Grove of giant sequoias (later becoming Yosemite National Park ) to

406-704: A heated debate over whether the government had the right to create parks. The perceived mismanagement of Yosemite by the Californian state was the reason why Yellowstone was put under national control at its establishment six years later. In 1872, Yellowstone National Park was established as the United States' first national park, being also the world's first national park. In some European and Asian countries, however, national protection and nature reserves already existed - though typically as game reserves and recreational grounds set aside for royalty, such as

464-478: A lack of benefit from tourism in the park are some of the reasons for this demand for an 11th province. In February 2021, a Priority Support Plan was initiated by Zambia's Department of National Parks and Wildlife (DNPW) and African Parks to secure technical and financial support for the park over a 15-month period. Following the success of this procedure, the Zambian government invited African Parks to enter into

522-514: A lower cost basis and a larger geographical coverage (in 1989 when created, it was the largest protected area in Asia). It includes four of the six tallest mountains in the world: Everest , Lhotse , Makalu , and Cho Oyu . The QNNP is contiguous to four Nepali national parks, creating a transnational conservation area equal in size to Switzerland. In 1993, the Blue and John Crow Mountains National Park

580-488: A national park system, with the creation of the Nahuel Huapi National Park in 1934, through the initiative of Francisco Moreno . After World War II , national parks were founded all over the world. The United Kingdom designated its first national park, Peak District National Park , in 1951. This followed perhaps 70 years of pressure for greater public access to the landscape. By the end of

638-546: A part of the Forest of Fontainebleau (France, 1861). Yellowstone was part of a federally governed territory . With no state government that could assume stewardship of the land, the federal government took on direct responsibility for the park, the official first national park of the United States. The combined effort and interest of conservationists, politicians and the Northern Pacific Railroad ensured

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696-457: A taller canopy (15 metres or more), more tree cover (60% or more ground cover), and greater species diversity than dry miombo. Three ecoregions are currently recognized. Despite the relatively nutrient-poor soil, long dry season, and low rainfall in some areas, the woodland is home to many species, including several endemic bird species. The predominant tree is miombo ( Brachystegia spp.). It also provides food and cover for mammals such as

754-427: A variety of waterbirds. It is one of the few known breeding sites for wattled cranes . The endangered Grey crowned crane is also in the park. Additionally there are flocks of pelicans , many species of egrets and large gatherings of African openbill storks. Colonies of African skimmers are found on sandbars in the main rivers. The small termite mounds of the grasslands attract sooty chats , and wetter areas of

812-518: Is less visited since the Itezhi-Tezhi Dam was built and more lodges were developed in the north. The reservoir cut the north–south track through the park and used to make it necessary to detour outside the park to drive between Ngoma and Chunga. The completion of the spine road once again links the north and south of the park. Kafue National Park receives extra protection because it is buffered by nine Game Management Areas. Still, poaching and

870-531: Is now Royal National Park was established just south of Sydney , Colony of New South Wales , on 26 April 1879, becoming the world's second official national park. Since Mackinac lost its national park status, the Royal National Park is, by some considerations, the second oldest national park now in existence. Banff National Park became Canada's first national park in 1885. New Zealand established Tongariro National Park in 1887. In Europe,

928-411: Is perceived as a brand name that is associated with nature-based tourism and it symbolizes a "high quality natural environment with a well-designed tourist infrastructure". The duties of a park ranger are to supervise, manage, and/or perform work in the conservation and use of park resources. This involves functions such as park conservation; natural, historical, and cultural resource management; and

986-531: Is protected and owned by a government. Although governments hold different standards for national park designation, the conservation of 'wild nature' for posterity and as a symbol of national pride is a common motivation for the continued protection of all national parks around the world. National parks are almost always accessible to the public. Usually national parks are developed, owned and managed by national governments, though in some countries with federal or devolved forms of government, "national parks" may be

1044-840: Is the grass Vossia cuspidata , which forms free-floating mats in the river. Aeschynomene elaphroxylon is a problematic weed near Lake Itezhi-tezhi. Mimosa pigra , an invasive shrub, is threatening wattled crane areas. The Busanga Plains in the far north-west are seasonally flooded grasslands along the Lufupa river. Kafue National Park hosts 21 species of antelope . This large range of antelope includes puku , sitatunga , red lechwe , blue duiker , yellow-backed duiker , Sharpe's grysbok , oribi , impala , roan antelope , sable antelope and hartebeest . With around 4,800 African bush elephant , herds are commonly seen. Other mammals include African buffalo , aardvark , pangolin , bushpig , warthog , spring hare and bush baby . Since 2005,

1102-507: Is via the Lusaka–Mongu Road from Lusaka to Mongu which crosses the park north of its centre. Seasonal dirt roads also link from Kalomo and Namwala in the south and south-east, and Kasempa in the north. The Kafue Game Reserve was created in the early 1920s to combat attrition of wildlife resources. Kafue National Park was established in the 1950s by Norman Carr , an influential British-Rhodesian conservationist. Establishment of

1160-488: The African elephant ( Loxodonta africana ), African wild dog ( Lycaon pictus ), sable antelope ( Hippotragus niger ) and Lichtenstein's hartebeest ( Sigmoceros lichtensteinii ). The miombo woodlands are important to the livelihoods of many rural people who depend on the resources available from the woodland. The wide variety of species provides non-timber products such as fruits, honey, fodder for livestock and fuelwood to various different largely Bantu peoples such as

1218-568: The American frontier and were meant to be monuments to America's true history. Yet, in some instances, the lands that were to be set aside and protected in formerly colonized lands were already being inhabited by native communities, who were then removed off of these lands to create pristine sites for public consumption. Critics claim that the removal of people from national parks enhances the belief that nature can only be protected when humans do not exist within it, and that this leads to perpetuating

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1276-517: The Naples government undertook laws to protect Natural areas, which could be used as a game reserve by the royal family; Procida was the first protected site; the difference between the many previous royal hunting preserves and this one, which is considered to be closer to a Park rather than a hunting preserve, is that Neapolitan government already considered the division into the present-day wilderness areas and non-strict nature reserves. In 1810,

1334-682: The Tobago Main Ridge Forest Reserve (in what is now Trinidad and Tobago; established in 1776) and the area surrounding Bogd Khan Uul Mountain (Mongolia, 1778), which were restricted from cultivation to protect surrounding farmland, are considered the oldest legally protected areas . Parks Canada , established on May 19, 1911, is the world's oldest national park service. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and its World Commission on Protected Areas (WCPA) have defined "National Park" as its Category II type of protected areas . According to

1392-572: The 431 sites managed by the National Park Service of the United States, only 63 carry the designation of National Park. Countries with a large ecotourism industry, such as Costa Rica, often experience a huge economic effect on park management as well as the economy of the country as a whole. Tourism to national parks has increased considerably over time. In Costa Rica for example, a megadiverse country , tourism to parks has increased by 400% from 1985 to 1999. The term national park

1450-590: The English poet William Wordsworth described the Lake District as a "sort of national property, in which every man has a right and interest who has an eye to perceive and a heart to enjoy." The painter George Catlin , in his travels through the American West , wrote during the 1830s that Native Americans in the United States might be preserved "(by some great protecting policy of government) ... in

1508-599: The IUCN definition. In many countries, including Indonesia, the Netherlands, and the United Kingdom, national parks do not adhere to the IUCN definition, while some areas which adhere to the IUCN definition are not designated as national parks. As many countries do not adhere to the IUCN definition, the term "national park" may be used loosely. In the United Kingdom , and in some other countries such as Taiwan ,

1566-506: The IUCN, 6,555 national parks worldwide met its criteria in 2006. IUCN is still discussing the parameters of defining a national park. The largest national park in the world meeting the IUCN definition is the Northeast Greenland National Park , which was established in 1974 and is 972,000 km (375,000 sq mi) in area. In 1969, the IUCN declared a national park to be a relatively large area with

1624-473: The area are Sarotherodon macrochir , Tilapia andersonii , T. rendalli , T. sparrmanii , Clarias gariepinus , Marcusenius macrolepidotus , Labeo molybdinus and Hepsetus odoe . In 1992, kapenta ( Limnothrissa miodon ) from Lake Tanganyika were introduced into Lake Itezhi-tezhi. Ngoma in the south is the headquarters of the park, but this area, together with the Nanzhila Plains,

1682-544: The best idea we ever had. Absolutely American, absolutely democratic, they reflect us at our best rather than our worst." The first area to use "national park" in its creation legislation was the U.S.'s Mackinac National Park , in 1875. (The area was later transferred to the state's authority in 1895, thus losing its official "national park" status. ) Following the idea established in Yellowstone and Mackinac, there soon followed parks in other nations. In Australia, what

1740-415: The candelabra tree ( Euphorbia ingens ), and the jackalberry ( Diospyros mespiliformis ). These mounds can be huge and are hundreds, even thousands, of years old. Large and small open plains are found throughout the park, often dotted with small termite mounds. The Kafue River eventually flows into the man-made Itezhi-Tezhi Dam , forming a reservoir partially within the park. An important aquatic plant

1798-578: The centre and the Musa in the south. Mean annual rainfall varies from 510 mm (20 in) in the south to more than 1,020 millimetres (40 in) in the north. Dry season is from June-October. The annual mean temperature is 21 °C (70 °F), with a mean maximum from 26 °C (79 °F) in July to 33 °C (91 °F) in October, the hottest month of the year. Winds are mostly light, blowing from

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1856-499: The creation of Yellowstone, Yosemite, and nearly 37 other national parks and monuments, another 44 years passed before an agency was created in the United States to administer these units in a comprehensive way – the U.S. National Park Service (NPS). The 64th United States Congress passed the National Park Service Organic Act , which President Woodrow Wilson signed into law on 25 August 1916. Of

1914-582: The decade a further nine national parks had been designated in the UK. Europe has some 359 national parks as of 2010. The Vanoise National Park in the Alps was the first French national park, created in 1963 after public mobilization against a touristic project . In 1971, Lahemaa National Park in Estonia was the first area to be designated a national park in the former Soviet Union . In 1973, Mount Kilimanjaro

1972-510: The demand for bushmeat has led to decline in animal numbers. In 2018, a team of six NGOs worked together to prevent declines due to poaching and habitat degradation. African Parks joined the coalition in 2021, working with the Zambia Wildlife Authority . The Priority Support Plan with African Parks and the government led to the creation of over 200 jobs, improved protection measures, and infrastructure investments. Some of

2030-519: The development and operation of interpretive and recreational programs for the benefit of the visiting public. Park rangers also have fire fighting responsibilities and execute search and rescue missions. Activities also include heritage interpretation to disseminate information to visitors of general, historical, or scientific information. Management of resources such as wildlife, lake shores, seashores, forests, historic buildings, battlefields, archaeological properties, and recreation areas are also part of

2088-504: The dichotomy between nature and humans (also known as the nature–culture divide ). They see the creation of national parks as a form of eco- land grabbing . Others claim that traveling to national parks to appreciate nature there leads people to ignore the nature that exists around them every day. Still others argue that tourism can actually negatively impact the areas that are being visited. Miombo woodland Miombo woodlands extend across south-central Africa, running from Angola in

2146-639: The dominion parks under the administration of the Dominion Park Branch (now Parks Canada ), within the Department of the Interior. The branch was established to "protect sites of natural wonder" to provide a recreational experience, centred on the idea of the natural world providing rest and spiritual renewal from the urban setting. Canada now has the largest protected area in the world with 450,000 km of national park space. Even with

2204-673: The drainage of the Nanzila river , and in some of the lands around the Nkala , Musa and Lwansanza rivers, there are dark grey alkaline clays. Otherwise, the park is covered by well-drained and relatively infertile pale or orange Kalahari sands mixed with some silt and clay. The main tributaries to the Kafue river in this park are the Lufupa and Lunga rivers in the north, the Luansanza in

2262-435: The east. Most of the park is covered in miombo woodlands , which are open semi- deciduous forests of trees in the genera Brachystegia , Julbernardia and Isoberlinia , adapted to periodic wildfires . These woodlands have a few small dambos interspersed among them. Evergreen forests of teak and mopane occur in the south and centre. Large termite mounds in the forests host particular evergreen flora, notably

2320-506: The edge of the granite massif there are slates, quartzites and limestones from the Katanga sediments of the inner Lufilian Arc . To the north and south of the massif the soil covers Karroo sediments of shales , siltstones , concreted gravels and various types of laterite . In the northern end of the park the flood plains have clay soils, but otherwise the soils are strongly leached sandy to loamy soils with low fertility. In most of

2378-752: The first national parks were a set of nine parks in Sweden in 1909, followed by the Swiss National Park in 1914. Africa's first national park was established in 1925 when Albert I of Belgium designated an area of what is now Democratic Republic of Congo centred on the Virunga Mountains as the Albert National Park (since renamed Virunga National Park ). In 1895, the Groenkloof Nature Reserve

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2436-614: The following defining characteristics: In 1971, these criteria were further expanded upon leading to more clear and defined benchmarks to evaluate a national park. These include: While the term national park is now defined by the IUCN, many protected areas in many countries are called national park even when they correspond to other categories of the IUCN Protected Area Management Definition, for example: While national parks are generally understood to be administered by national governments (hence

2494-458: The infrastructure improvements were a new law enforcement centre, fixing existing infrastructure at Chunga and Ngoma, and grading roads. In 2021, investment for law enforcement was double the average for 2018–2020. National park A national park is a nature park designated for conservation purposes because of unparalleled national natural, historic, or cultural significance. It is an area of natural, semi-natural, or developed land that

2552-755: The job of a park ranger. Since the establishment of the National Park Service in the US in 1916, the role of the park ranger has shifted from merely being a custodian of natural resources to include several activities that are associated with law enforcement. They control traffic, manage permits for various uses, and investigate violations, complaints, trespass/encroachment, and accidents. National parks in former European colonies have come under criticism for allegedly perpetuating colonialism . National parks were created by individuals who felt that pristine, natural sections of nature should be set aside and preserved from urban development. In America, this movement came about during

2610-565: The name), in Australia, with the exception of six national parks, national parks are run by state governments and predate the Federation of Australia ; similarly, national parks in the Netherlands are administered by the provinces. In Canada, there are both national parks operated by the federal government and provincial or territorial parks operated by the provincial and territorial governments, although nearly all are still national parks by

2668-554: The natural, thermal springs and adjoining mountainsides for the future disposal of the U.S. government. It was known as Hot Springs Reservation , but no legal authority was established. Federal control of the area was not clearly established until 1877. The work of important leaders who fought for animal and land conservation were essential in the development of legal action. Some of these leaders include President Abraham Lincoln, Laurance Rockefeller, President Theodore Roosevelt, John Muir, and First Lady Lady Bird Johnson to name

2726-668: The park may have been possible after the British colonial government moved the traditional owners of the area, the Nkoya people of Mwene Kabulwebulwe , from their traditional hunting grounds into the Mumbwa District to the east in 1924. In 2021, Nkoya leaders called to establish a new province in the area, which they propose to name Kafue Province . Dissatisfaction with the pace of development in Central Province and

2784-543: The passage of enabling legislation by the United States Congress to create Yellowstone National Park. Theodore Roosevelt and his group of conservationists, the Boone and Crockett Club , were active campaigners and were highly influential in convincing fellow Republicans and big business to back the bill. Yellowstone National Park soon played a pivotal role in the conservation of these national treasures, as it

2842-402: The plains are favoured by the rosy-throated longclaw . When the termite alates fly before the rains, pallid harriers , Montagu's harriers , lesser kestrels and European hobby feast on them. The woodlands are home to African hawk-eagles , black-chested snake-eagles , racket-tailed rollers , flocks of helmetshrikes , and sooty and Arnot's chats . Commercially important fish species in

2900-654: The protected area has been considered a lion 'conservation unit', together with South Luangwa National Park . There are over 200 lions in the park. The park has the largest cheetah population in Zambia and a healthy population of African leopards . The park is a stronghold of the African wild dog . Other carnivores include Selous's mongoose , white-tailed mongoose , marsh mongoose , African civet , honey badger , African clawless otter , spotted-necked otter , serval , caracal and African wild cat . The Kafue River and its tributaries are home to pods of hippopotamus and

2958-861: The region, such as Swahili and Shona , have related if not identical words, such as Swahili miyombo (singular myombo ). These woodlands are dominated by trees of subfamily Detarioideae , particularly miombo ( Brachystegia ), Julbernardia and Isoberlinia , which are rarely found outside miombo woodlands. Miombo woodlands can be classified as dry or wet based on the per annum amount and distribution of rainfall. Dry woodlands occur in those areas receiving less than 1000 mm annual rainfall, mostly in Zimbabwe, central Tanzania, eastern and southern Mozambique, Malawi, and southern Zambia. Wet woodlands are those receiving more than 1000 mm annual rainfall, mainly located in northern Zambia, eastern Angola, central Malawi, and western Tanzania. Wet miombo generally has

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3016-402: The responsibility of subnational, regional, or local authorities. The United States established Yellowstone National Park , the first "public park or pleasuring-ground for the benefit and enjoyment of the people," in 1872. Although Yellowstone was not officially termed a "national park" at the time, in practice it is widely held to be the first and oldest national park in the world. However,

3074-402: The state of California. According to this bill, private ownership of the land in this area was no longer possible. The state of California was designated to manage the park for "public use, resort, and recreation". Leases were permitted for up to ten years and the proceeds were to be used for conservation and improvement. A public discussion followed this first legislation of its kind and there was

3132-559: The west to Tanzania in the east, including parts of Democratic Republic of the Congo, Malawi, Mozambique, Zambia, and Zimbabwe. They are bounded on the north by the humid Congolian forests , on the northeast by Acacia–Commiphora bushland , and on the south by semi-arid woodlands, grasslands, and savannas. The woodland gets its name from miombo (plural, singular muombo ), the Bemba word for Brachystegia species. Other Bantu languages of

3190-602: Was classified as a National Park and was opened to public access in 1977. In 1989, the Qomolangma National Nature Preserve (QNNP) was created to protect 3.381 million hectares on the north slope of Mount Everest in the Tibet Autonomous Region of China. This national park is the first major global park to have no separate warden and protection staff—all of its management consists of existing local authorities, allowing

3248-462: Was established as the first game sanctuary in Africa. In 1926, the government of South Africa designated Kruger National Park as the nation's first national park, although it was an expansion of the earlier Sabie Game Reserve established in 1898 by President Paul Kruger of the old South African Republic , after whom the park was named. Argentina became the third country in the Americas to create

3306-601: Was established in Jamaica to conserve and protect 41,198 hectares, including tropical montane rainforest and adjacent buffer areas. The site includes Jamaica's tallest peak ( Blue Mountain Peak ), hiking trails and a visitor center. The Park was also designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2015. The world's first national park service was established May 19, 1911, in Canada. The Dominion Forest Reserves and Parks Act placed

3364-535: Was suffering at the hands of poachers and others who stood at the ready to pillage what they could from the area. Theodore Roosevelt and his newly formed Boone and Crockett Club successfully took the lead in protecting Yellowstone National Park from this plight, resulting in laws designed to conserve the natural resources in Yellowstone and other parks under the Government's purview. American Pulitzer Prize -winning author Wallace Stegner wrote: "National parks are

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