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TitleLarger than Denmark or Switzerland the 52,800 square kilometre Kalahari Park, which was set up in 1961, is the third largest game reserve in the world. Central Kalahari Game Reservemany people refer to the Central Kalahari simply as Deception. The name "Deception" comes from a pan the dry surface of which sometimes appears convincingly full of water until one gets right to the edge.
Landscape In the southern Kalahari area the sand lies in distinct linear dunes.
These dunes are covered in grass, shrubs and trees. In contrast with
true sand deserts, the sand in the Kalahari is stabilized by vegetation. Although the Kalahari is generally seen as a desert, it is in actual fact a semi-arid savanah, with average rainfall at Deception Valley Lodge of 300mm per annum. Rainfall is one of the main ecological driving forces in this area.
It determines the quantity of plant growth produced each year and the
amount of food for game. The quantity and distribution of rainfall through
the wet periods is also important. If for example it rains early in
the season certain grass and tree species are favoured. Should it rain
at a later stage totally different species are favoured and this phenomena
will give the eco-tourist a totally different experience of the Kalahari
every season. The waving landscapes consist of vast sand dunes. Between the dunes
one encounters low lying areas with small pans. The bigger trees are
found on top of the sand dunes and around the pans. The most important
large trees in this area are Acacia luederitzii, Terminalia prunioides
and Boscia albitrunca. The grass cover in the Kalahari is abundant and important after rain, not only as animal grazing but also as protection against erosion. Botswana. You journey into the Central Kalahari National park, the
second largest national park in the world. |
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