Boja Swamps

Boja Swamps is a wetland on the floodplain of the lower Shabelle River in southern Somalia, a little way downstream (south-west) of Arbowerow. The site contains grass swamps and deciduous bushland on the river floodplain, at an elevation of about 100 m, and is recognised as a Key Biodiversity Area (assessed 2001). The Key Biodiversity Area covers about 1,382 km².^[1] It has been proposed as a Wildlife Reserve, but no protected-area coverage is in place.^[1]

The Key Biodiversity Area record notes that Pseudonigrita cabanisi (black-capped social weaver), a species of the Somali-Masai biome, has been recorded from few other Important Bird Areas in Somalia. African elephant (Endangered) and African buffalo occur, or used to occur, at the site.^[1] The Nile crocodile is very common in southern Somalia.^[2]

The Key Biodiversity Area record describes the habitat as grass swamps and deciduous bushland on the river floodplain.^[1]

Boja Swamps lies on the floodplain of the lower Shabelle, a river that rises in the Ethiopian Highlands, flows southeast toward Mogadishu and, below Mogadishu, becomes seasonal as it turns southwest to follow the coast.^[3]

The wetland depends on the Shabelle River, whose lower course is seasonal: in most years the river dries up near the mouth of the Jubba River, while in seasons of heavy rainfall it reaches the Jubba and the ocean.^[3]

The wider Shabelle valley around Boja Swamps was part of the Ajuran Sultanate, which existed from the 13th century to 1695 and built dykes and dams on the Shebelle River to support irrigated crops such as sorghum and maize.^[4] Banana cultivation along the southern stretches of the Shebelle and Jubba rivers contributes significantly to Somalia's export industry.^[3]

Eleven wildlife areas have been declared in Somalia since the 1970s, but only two were thought to be functional, and no formal protection has been offered to any of them since the early 1990s.^[5] The Key Biodiversity Area record for Boja swamps was last assessed in 2001 and states that the site has been proposed as a Wildlife Reserve.^[1]

The surrounding Lower Shabelle region has seen repeated violence, including the 2017 ambush of an AMISOM convoy and a bomb in Golweyn on 31 January 2021, so travellers should check current government travel advice before considering any visit.^[6]

The Key Biodiversity Area record lists clearance of land for agriculture as the primary threat and reports 0% protected-area coverage.^[1] Nature Somalia states that no protected areas remained functional after 1991 and that elephant populations declined by 95% since 1979 across the country.^[7]