Location: Malanje Province Map
Area: 600 km²
Cangandala National Park is a national park in Angola. The park is
located in the north of Malanje province. The northern border runs
along the Cuije River, and the eastern and western borders are made
up of two unnamed tributaries of the Kwanza River. To the east of
the park is the city of Culamagia, and to the south is Techongolola.
The park is located in a flat area at an altitude of 1000 meters
above sea level. With an area of 630 km², it is the smallest
national park in Angola.
The basis of the park is open
forest; along the rivers you can find gallery forests; part of the
park is represented by flooded meadows and swamps. Woodland Park has
denser undergrowth than miombo. The flora of the park is mainly
represented by Brachystegia wangermeeana, Brachystegia boehmii and
Julbernardia, with Piliostigma, Burkea, Monotes, strychnos,
sterculia and Dombeya also found. In the area between the meadows
and the woodland, solitary trees of Uapaca benguelensis,
Piliostigma, Annona, Entadopsis and Erythrina abyssinica can be
found. Papyrus is widespread in the swampy area.
The park is
home to a large number of birds. During the observation period from
August to September, researchers noted more than 170 species. Due to
the nature of the woodland, typical miombo inhabitants are not
typical for it. The park is home to a large endangered species of
herbivore, the black antelope (Hippotragus niger variani). From 1982
to 2005, there was no direct evidence that antelopes were still
around. In April 2005, an expedition from the Catholic University’s
Center for Scientific Studies and Investigation managed to
photograph animals in the park. In September 2014, there were 35
individuals. In addition, the park is home to 15 species of mammals,
3 species of reptiles and one species of amphibian.
The park
was established in 1970, its main objective is the conservation of
the sable antelope (Hippotragus niger variani). During the war, the
park administration was abolished and only in 2006 the
administrative building was restored on the territory of the park.
In 2014, equipment was delivered to the park to monitor the animal
population.
After a small population of the rare giant sable antelope was discovered near the town of Cangandala in the late 1950s, the area between the Cuije and Cuque rivers, the only year-round watercourses in the area, was declared a nature reserve by the Portuguese administration on May 25, 1963 . The area was expanded on December 26, 1964 and became a national park on May 25, 1970. Since 2019 there have been proposals to expand the park to 850 km² and fence it in.
When the national park was founded, there were between 100 and 150
giant sable antelopes there. The civil war in Angola depleted the
population so much that in 2005 only a herd of nine females
survived. However, since there were no males left, the females mated
with male roan antelopes. In 2009, nine hybrids were discovered.
Three male giant sable antelopes from the Reserva Natural Integral
do Luando protected area were then brought to the national park to
mate and the hybrid specimens were sterilized. The reproduction
program was successful, so that the herd had already grown to 70
animals by 2017 and to 115 animals by mid-2023.
In addition
to the giant sable antelope, there are only relatively few larger
mammal species in the park, including bushbuck, Defassa waterbuck,
reedbuck, crowned duiker, roan antelope, red buffalo, striped
jackal, warthog and water kudu. The park is also home to numerous
bird, 27 reptile and 21 amphibian species.
The vegetation
consists mainly of miombo, interrupted by savanna. The tree
population reaches a height of over 20 m. There is evergreen gallery
forest along the rivers.
Illegal hunting with firearms such as the AK-47, intrusion into the population with grazing animals and illegal deforestation represent the greatest threats to the various animal species. Only a 4x4 vehicle is available for monitoring, which must be brought to Luanda for repairs , although there are repair shops nearby. Another problem is the uncertain financial situation and the indiscipline of the civil servants.