Channel blockage and abandonment in the North-eastern okavango delta: the role of cyperus papyrus

Abstract

The progressive upstream encroachment of river courses by Cyperus papyrus L. has accompanied the abandonment of two major distributary channels within the Okavango Delta, Botswana, in historic time. The aim of this study has been to evaluate the importance of this species in contributing to channel avulsion, and to determine the mechanisms by which it does so. The study area was located along the lower Nqoga river which appears