The floodplain habitats (Figure 9)are the prime choice for agriculture and cattle grazing and it is apparent that the wetland grazers are engaged in an unequal competition for resources. In 1996 the areas cleared for agriculture amounted to some 21% of the wetlands.It can be estimated that some 3,000km2 of potential range for the wetland grazers still remains in the Caprivi. However, with the exception of the protected areas, the impact of human population pressure and livestock extends to almost every part of the potential range(Figure 9 and figure 16). There are no protected areas in the Chobe-Zambezi river system (Figure 13) which accounts for about half of the best wetland grazer habitat in the Caprivi. Martin (2004) gives some crude estimates of the wetland habitats in State Protected Areas (Table 6). Salambala Conservancy may provide the best hope for maintaining reedbuck, waterbuck, lechwe and puku in this part of the Caprivi. Mudumu and Mamili national parks and the 'Golden Triangle" (the Eastern core area of the West Caprivi Game Reserve) provide protection for a small part of the floodplain habitats in the Kwando-Linyanti river system (Figure 14). The conservancies on the east bank of the Kwando River may prove important in the future (Kwandu, Wuparo and Mayuni) but, at the moment, livestock densities in the floodplain habitats are relatively high. Mahango national park and the 'Buffalo Area' (the Western Core area of the Caprivi Game Reserve) protect some of the floodplain habitat on the Kavango river (Figure 15).

The actual area of floodplain habitat within the Golden Triangle is less than 50%. However, an allowance has been made for the area of floodplain at southern end of the Kwando extending into the West Caprivi.