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The site was identified as important in 1996 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata	LC	winter	1994	43,736 individuals	A4i
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	LC	non-breeding	1995	700 individuals	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	non-breeding	1993	59,000 individuals	A4i
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor	NT	non-breeding	1993-1995	100,000-230,000 individuals	A1, A4i
Black-faced Sandgrouse Pterocles decoratus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Star-spotted Nightjar Caprimulgus stellatus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus	VU	non-breeding	1992	5 individuals	A1
White-bellied Go-away-bird Criniferoides leucogaster	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	non-breeding	1992-1993	12,000-17,200 individuals	A4i
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	non-breeding	1996	4,000 individuals	A4i
Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius	LC	non-breeding	1996	10,968 individuals	A4i
Ruff Calidris pugnax	LC	winter	1995	35,819 individuals	A4i
Little Stint Calidris minuta	LC	winter	1994	36,272 individuals	A4i
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	LC	winter	1995	2,500 individuals	A4i
Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica	LC	winter	1994	650 individuals	A4i
Eastern Chanting-goshawk Melierax poliopterus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus	NT	passage	1996	5 individuals	A1
Hemprich's Hornbill Lophoceros hemprichii	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Eastern Yellow-billed Hornbill Tockus flavirostris	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Von der Decken's Hornbill Tockus deckeni	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Black-billed Woodhoopoe Phoeniculus somaliensis	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Red-bellied Parrot Poicephalus rufiventris	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Chestnut-headed Sparrow-lark Eremopterix signatus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Yellow-vented Eremomela Eremomela flavicrissalis	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Boran Cisticola Cisticola bodessa	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Scaly Chatterer Argya aylmeri	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
White-rumped Babbler Turdoides leucopygia	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Bare-eyed Thrush Turdus tephronotus	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
White-headed Buffalo-Weaver Dinemellia dinemelli	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Rüppell's Weaver Ploceus galbula	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Speke's Weaver Ploceus spekei	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Black-cheeked Waxbill Brunhilda charmosyna	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
Steel-blue Whydah Vidua hypocherina	LC	resident	1996	present	A3
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	non-breeding	-	100,000-499,999 individuals	A4iii

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (1996) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1996. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Natural system modifications	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	very high
Energy production and mining	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	No management planning has taken place	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1963	Abijatta-Shalla	National Park	100

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Terrestrial		59
Wetlands (inland)		23
Grassland		15
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)		1

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-
urban/industrial/transport	-
other	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Abijatta - Shalla Lakes National Park (Ethiopia). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/abijatta--shalla-lakes-national-park-iba-ethiopia on 23/11/2024.