Etosha National Park, Namibia Photograph by Jennifer D'Amico   Southwestern Africa: Northern Namibia Flooded Grasslands and Savannas   2,800 square miles (7,200 square kilometers) -- about the size of Delaware and Rhode Island combined Vulnerable

· Salty
· Special Features
· Did You Know?
· Wild Side
· Cause for Concern
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Salty

It is quite possible that you would see some amazing African wildlife if you were to visit the Etosha Pan Halophytics. These salty wetlands occur in shallow depressions, called pans, within the Angolan Mopane Woodlands of Northern Namibia. They are seasonal wetlands that hold saltwater for a short time during the rainy season, when heavy rains permeate the salty "pan" soils and create saltwater. During the dry season, however, the landscape changes. Large shallow lakes evaporate quickly and once again take the form of salt-crusted, cracked mud. Because of these dramatic seasonal changes, species that reside here must be able to adapt or migrate to other areas. For example, some species may bury themselves in the mud for the dry season.

Special Features

Temporary shallow streams, called oshanas, flow into the Etosha Pan Halophytics ecoregion about twice every three years. About once every seven to ten years, large floods in the Cuvelai drainage system reach the Etosha Pan. As water evaporates from the pans, a crust of white salt is left on top of the soil. Only halophytic, or salt-loving, grasses, reeds, sedges, and some small bushes can thrive in this harsh enviroment, but they are a crucial food source for browsing and grazing wildlife, many of which rely on this area during their migrations.

	Flamingoes eat by putting their heads upside-down in the water and filtering water through the comb-like ridges lining the inside of their bills, selecting out small invertebrates from the water.

Wild Side

Rolling in the thick, cool mud of the Etosha Pan Halophytics, a lion finds relief from the scorching heat of the day. Other savanna mammals, such as white rhinos, elephants, hunting dogs, lions, leopards, and various antelopes also visit the pans for bathing, cooling down, and grazing during the wet season. Several rare and endangered large mammals, including black rhinos, African elephants, African wild dogs, and roan antelopes live in Etosha National Park. The ecoregion is the largest known breeding site in southern Africa for lesser and greater flamingos, who specialize in straining out invertebrates from these salty ecoregions. In some years, the combined population of flamingos is said to reach one million birds. There are also large breeding colonies of pelicans and a number of other wetland and savanna-woodland birds.

Cause for Concern

Most of the pans are located within Etosha National Park and are therefore protected. Large numbers of tourists visit the pans each year. Unfortunately, anti-malarial pesticides, including DDT, have entered the food chain and could reach lethal levels unless they are banned from use soon. The habitats of the area are also threatened by long-term climatic drying due to global climate change and by any future diversion of the water that flows into the area via the seasonal streams.

For more information on this ecoregion, go to the World Wildlife Fund Scientific Report.