Zungal Seagrass (Zostera sp.)

Southwestern Angola, influenced by the Botswana anticyclone inland and the Benguela Cold Current along the coast, is the region of the country most affected by drought, which alternates with flooding. Its population lives primarily from agriculture and livestock raising. Droughts are recurrent, and when they occur, water and all vegetation-which is essential for feeding livestock-disappear. However, without water or food, there is no life; this leads to severe food insecurity for both people and animals. To cope with this precarious situation, people walk long distances in search of areas with water and grass to take their animals to. Faced with this critical situation, the government is building canals and dams in the region to mitigate the water shortage; however, the lack of feed remains an unsolved problem. This study presents Zungal grass (Zostera sp.), a rare and unique species, as a solution to mitigate the problem of feed shortages-until another solution is found that surpasses it.