Национальный парк Упемба: Биоразнообразие и угрозы в юго-восточном Конго.

National park in southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo

Upemba National Park (French: Parc national d'Upemba) is a large national park in Haut Lomami, Lualaba Province & Haut Katanga Province (formerly in Katanga Province) of the southeastern Democratic Republic of Congo, formerly Zaire.

At the time of the creation of Upemba National Park, on 15 May 1939, the park had a surface area of It was the largest park in Africa. In July 1975, the limits were revised and today the integral park has an area of with an annex of a further
Its lower section is located in the Upemba Depression, a lush area of lakes and marshes including the eponymous Lake Upemba, and bordered by the Lualaba River. Its higher section is in the dryer Kibara Plateau mountains.

Upemba National Park was first established in 1939. As with much of the wildlife of the region, in contemporary times the park continues to be threatened by the activities of poachers, pollution, and the activities of refugees and militia. On 1 June 2005, the protectors of the park received the Abraham Conservation Award for their role in protecting the rich biodiversity of the Congo River basin. In January 2023, the Armed Forces of the Democratic Republic of the Congo launched an operation against Mai Mai Kata Katanga rebels who were hiding in the Kundelungu and Upemba National Parks.

The habitat of the park varies from Afromontane grasslands and forests at higher altitudes in the Kibara Mountains; through Miombo woodlands and tropical rainforests; to marshes, wetlands, lakes, and streams with riparian zones at the lower altitudes. It is home to some 1,800 different species, some of them discovered as late as 2003. Lake Upemba has a maximum depth reported to be only and it is a site of intense algae growth. The watercourses of the region fluctuate according to the season and the water level in the lakes is high from March to June, and low from October to January. Many of the bodies of the water in the area are characterized by extensive swamps, with papyrus, Nile lettuce and water caltrop among other species.

The system of lakes, rivers, swamps and wetlands supports a variety of fish fauna. This includes over 30 species of Cyprinidae, Mormyridae (also known as freshwater elephant fish), Barbus, Alestidae, Mochokidae and Cichlidae.