Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Bishoftu is one of a number of crater lakes near Debre Zeit in East Shewa Zone, 50 km west of the zonal capital, Nazaret. Like all of the volcanic crater lakes in this area, Bishoftu is a closed system, surrounded by very steep and rocky hills and cliffs. The lake is fed directly by rain and by water flowing down from the crater rims. The maximum and minimum depths are 87 m and 55 m respectively. The water is alkaline, with the erosion of basaltic and hyper-alkaline rocks surrounding the lake playing an important role in increasing the alkalinity of the water. The lake does not have enough of a shoreline to attract wading birds. Cliffs and scattered trees that grow on these cliffs make up the major habitats surrounding the lake. The phytoplankton is dominated by blue-green algae, particularly
Microcystis aeruginosa and
Oscillatoria spp., and there are some fish, although not much fishing is done. Drier slopes around the lake support various
Acacia spp. where disturbance and grazing are minimal. Severely eroded areas are either bare or carry highly drought-tolerant shrubs, scramblers and succulents, the most conspicuous of which are
Carissa edulis,
Euphorbia tirucalli,
Pterolobium stellatum,
Caesalpina spinosa and
Opuntia ficus-indica. Debre Zeit is an important town, with a local agriculture-based economy. The market is a major feeder market for Addis Ababa. The town has a number of training and research centres, with the Air Force, the Ethiopian Management Institute Conference Centre, National Veterinary Institute, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine of Addis Ababa University, and Alemaya University of Agriculture all represented. A flourmill, a tannery, and a number of modern agricultural enterprises, particularly for chicken and egg production, have been established, and the area is a popular weekend resort for people from Addis Ababa.
See Box for key species. Bishoftu is one of the most important of the crater lakes in the Debre Zeit area. It supports, along with the other lakes, a wintering population of 10–15
Aythya nyroca. Two surveys in January 1996 recorded 50 species, including
Phoenicopterus minor,
Netta erythrophthalma,
Anas clypeata and a number of migrant passerine species.
Gyps rueppellii roost, and are believed to nest, in the rocky hills that surround the lake. In addition, one species of the Sudan–Guinea Savanna biome also occurs; see Table 3.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Bishoftu Lake is used as a waste outlet for effluent from a newly installed tannery, which is also pumping water from the lake. A deep-water well has been dug within the compound of the tannery, and it is feared that this may slowly drain the lake from underground. The legality of the well has been questioned. The tannery and a new hotel were built on sites that were previously designated ‘green areas’, in spite of the availability of other more convenient sites in the immediate vicinity. Some of the houses built around the crater rim, and the hotel, release their waste-water and sewage into the lake. However, people still swim and wash their clothes at various sites round the shore.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Bishoftu lake (Ethiopia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/bishoftu-lake-iba-ethiopia on 23/11/2024.
