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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation 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 List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Northern Shoveler Spatula clypeata	LC	winter (1994)	43,736 birds	A4i
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	LC	non-breeding (1995)	700 birds	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	non-breeding (1993)	59,000 birds	A4i
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor	NT	non-breeding (1993–1995)	100,000–230,000 birds	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 birds	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 birds	A4i
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	non-breeding (1996)	4,000 birds	A4i
Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius	LC	non-breeding (1996)	10,968 birds	A4i
Ruff Calidris pugnax	LC	winter (1995)	35,819 birds	A4i
Little Stint Calidris minuta	LC	winter (1994)	36,272 birds	A4i
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	LC	winter (1995)	2,500 birds	A4i
Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica	LC	winter (1994)	650 birds	A4i
Eastern Chanting-goshawk Melierax poliopterus	LC	resident (1996)	present	A3
Pallid Harrier Circus macrourus	NT	passage (1996)	5 birds	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 birds	A4iii

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 of popul­ation/area (>90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Energy production and mining	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>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 (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1963	Abijatta-Shalla	National Park (II)	100

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

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 24/12/2024.