The Bowati in Kordofan, Sudan: Unique Aquatic Ecosystems of a Non-Nilotic In-Land Delta

Abstract

This paper describes the unique in-land, non-Nilotic delta of Wadi El Galla, a seasonal water course which originates in the Nuba Mountains of Kordofan region and terminates in a chain of small ponds each known locally as a Bouta (pl Bowati). The Bowati are inhabited by a community of aquatic plants forming a wide spectrum ranging from small true (Euophytes) to large woody trees. The euophytes encountered were grouped into six categories. The free-floating species were represented by the small Lemna purpusilla Torr. and the larger Pistia stratiotes L. while only one submerged species was found: Ottelia alismoides (Planch.) Welp. One suspended species was found, Utricularia stellaris L. F. Three species of the floating-leaved plants were encountered namely, Nymphaea lotus L., N. micrantha Guill. & Perrott and Nymphoides nilotica (Kotschy & Peyr.) Léonard. The emergent Limnophyton obtusifolium (L.) Miq. was very prominent in all the Bowat constituting with N. lotus the two dominant species. Trailing from the Bouta edge and forming thick mats on the open water is Neptunia oleracea Lour., a member of the Fabaceae family. Within these euophytes and towering to over ten meters is the woody tree Mitragyna inermis Kuntze. Some of herbaceous plants are a source of food for the local community such as the bulbils of Nymphaea micrantha . These meagrely studied ecosystems are under threat from natural and anthropogenic factors. The former are the recurrent drought, climate change, and the latter are due to urbanization, overexploitation and oil activities. There is an urgent need for delineating and mapping the geomorphology, drainage patterns of Al Muglad in-land delta as well as the number and sites of the Bowati. The taxonomy of the aquatic species, their nutritive and medicinal values are other areas of research. Within such a context, a concerted national and international endeavour is called for to conserve these unique ecosystems and conceivably, declaring them as protected sites.