Conserving Wetlands

Hippo Valley Swamp

The 240-hectare Hippo Valley Swamp lies within the Hippo Valley Game Reserve and plays an important role in the wider Malilangwe ecosystem. It is fed by nine return-flow drains from irrigated sugar cane fields, with water moving slowly through the wetland before entering channels that flow into the Chiredzi River. During the late dry season, when grazing is limited elsewhere, the swamp provides a valuable source of green forage for herbivores and significantly increases the area’s carrying capacity. This is especially important for grazing species such as buffalo and waterbuck, which gather there in large numbers during the hottest months of the year.

An invasion of bulrushes reduced the amount of open grazing habitat within the swamp, limiting both forage production and game viewing. To restore the wetland’s ecological value, management work focused on reducing permanent flooding, reopening grassland areas and improving forage quality. This included cleaning and repairing the existing drainage network, clearing shrubs that had encroached into formerly open areas, and using controlled burns to remove old growth and encourage fresh grazing.