Key species

Zambia is home to over 12,500 species, of which almost 200 have been assessed as threatened according to the IUCN Red List. Almost 4,000 plant species and 563 microorganisms have been recorded. 224 mammal species have been recorded, many of which are economically important through hunting and tourism. Zambia is also home to over 750 bird species, comparatively high for a landlocked country dominated by a single biome. 490 species of fish have been recorded

Pressures and threats

Zambia’s ecosystems face major threats: degazettement of forest reserves, mostly for purposes of mining; deforestation and habitat degradation; human encroachment into protected areas; uncontrolled late bush fires; overexploitation of certain tree species, as well as mammals for the bushmeat and illegal wildlife trade and overfishing of freshwater ecosystems; pollution from agriculture, mining and other industrial activities; and alien invasive species.