Mimosa Pigra Damages African Game Parks

The Destructive Weed Jumped From Mexico to Ravage Africa and Austral

Nov 20, 2008

In Zambia they call it the 'shy maiden' for its sensitivity. By whatever name, Mimosa Pigra is a nuisance that tears flesh of both man and animal. It is loathed by both.

And because of its destructiveness it is now threatening the scenic lands of Southern Africa where it is believed nature still has the ‘Last Garden of Eden’ on earth in the form of protected national parks now teeming with wild game, fauna and flora.

But it is because of its withdrawing nature that the English refer to it as a ‘giant sensitive plant’ or ‘giant trembling plant’ while the Portuguese call it the ‘juquiri grand’ and the Spanish ‘sensitiva’ or ‘espino’, according to the Peter Faustdam web pages.

The Destructive Weed Jumped From Mexico to Ravage Africa and Australia

From its native Mexico, Central and South America the Mimosa Pigra has migrated to Africa. In Zambia it has put in danger the Kafue National Park and a wetland known as the Kafue Flats – which is an open savanna covering about 6,500 square kilometers along the upper reaches of the Kafue River and just outside the protected area.

Here Mimosa Pigra has destroyed a third of the natural ecosystem, smothered pastures with its thickets of useless but dense foliage with barbs on the stems, branches and leaves. At the same time it has multiplied frenetically.

The Habitat of the Kafue Lechwe and Zambezi Bream is Now in Danger

Kafue is, without doubt, one of the biggest national parks in Africa as it is spread out over nearly 22,500 square kilometers. It is also among the oldest having been established in 1950, according to Zambian Tourism.

And because of its teeming wildlife, that includes the Kafue Lechwe – a semi-aquatic antelope that is also sometimes referred to as the impala – the Kafue National Park is of considerable importance to Zambian tourism. Here tourists can also see the big four – lion, buffalo, elephant and leopard; and such others as the kudu, hartebeest and the ubiquitous hippopotami in a river that is full of the tasty fresh water bream known commonly as the Zambezi bream.

World Wide Fund for Nature and ZAWA Are Fighting Mimosa Pigra

Concerned about the destructive nature of Mimosa Pigra the World Wide Fund for Nature - WWF’s Partners for Wetlands protection – have joined hands with the Zambian Government through the Zambia Wildlife Authority (ZAWA) to eradicate the weed so that Zambia does not lose a greater part of the protected Kafue National Park wildlife. WWF has also partnered with governments of Southern Africa to fight the shrub.

Another partner in the fight against Mimosa Pigra is Star of Africa that is operating a ‘Lechwe Tented Camp’ in Lochnivar National Park where Mimosa Pigra has affected business for the company. The weed is growing just in front of the camp and blocking not only the entrance to the river but most importantly the painful barbs of the plant have pushed animals away from the vicinity of the camp. Star of Africa at one time tried to clear the weed but it came back with a vengeance.

Ecologists Fear SADC Tourism Receipts Could Be Damaged by Weed

With the Mimosa Pigra encroaching on to an ever widening area in Southern Africa ecological experts now fear the weed could damage not only agricultural land but prime nature reserves as well.

In Zambia, for example, in 2007 she had received 805,059 visitors who brought in receipts of $188 million from $177 million in 2006, according to government statistics outlined in the 2008 national fiscal budget presented to parliament by former Finance and National Planning Minister, Ng’andu Magande, in February 2008.

But these receipts stand to be reduced drastically if the Mimosa Pigra weed is allowed to widen its grip in National Game Parks like the Kafue. With the weed replicating in most countries of Southern Africa the danger is that it can damage receipts from tourism of all countries of the region, according to officials at ZAWA.

The copyright of the article Mimosa Pigra Damages African Game Parks in Geology/Ecology is owned by Lewis Mwanangombe. Permission to republish Mimosa Pigra Damages African Game Parks in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.