Zambezi River Basin

2 THE BASIN’S CHANGING ENVIRONMENT There are many factors contributing to the environmental changes occurring in the Zambezi River Basin. These drivers of change include population growth and expansion of settlements, especially urban areas; economic activities such as mining, manufacturing and agriculture; and natural environmental dynamics characterized by increasing frequency of floods and drought. The scale of change in the basin is variable ranging from small-scale localized change to widespread regional changes. Over the years the landscape of the basin has changed, water-based ecosystems have been altered, wildlife numbers have fallen and general biodiversity has changed through the introduction of alien species and loss of some species. The environmental changes in the basin are continuous and in some cases very dramatic. While most of the causes of the changes are local, there are also external causes such as greenhouse gas emissions and the associated changes in weather patterns and climate.

32