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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Chelekleka is a seasonally inundated pan, the western and south-western sides of which form the periphery of Debre Zeit town. Debre Zeit is in East Shewa Zone, 50 km west of the zonal capital, Nazaret. Chelekleka is in a shallow pan into which fresh water seeps and flows from the surrounding cultivated slopes. Water fills the muddy depression during the rainy season and persists well into the dry season. The two highland ranges of Teltele and Sofa, on the north-eastern side of the swamp, are the main catchments for Chelekleka. Because of its shallow nature, the lake’s shoreline is wide. The size of the inundated area varies dramatically from year to year, although recently the size of the swamp has been reduced through the construction of flood-control dykes in the feeder streams, and channeling run-off from the town into Bishoftu lake (site ET032). The swamp is relatively rich in aquatic vegetation, with
Typha spp., sedges, rushes,
Potamogeton spp.,
Persicaria spp. and the floating grass
Odontelytrum abyssinicum. The area around the lake is intensively used. As the waters retreat, peasant farmers cultivate vegetables on the rich alluvial soils left behind on its northern and eastern sides, and it is not uncommon to see some cultivation throughout the year. A thriving private citrus farm exists on the lake’s southern side. This wetland is also an important watering point for cattle in the area. Debre Zeit is an important town (see site ET032).
See Box for key species. This lake is important for the large concentrations of waterfowl that it supports on a seasonal basis, including a substantial wintering population
Grus grus that is assumed to be part of a larger population wintering in the Debre Zeit, Koka and Akaki area. Chelekleka supports, along with the other Debre Zeit lakes, a wintering population of 10–15
Aythya nyroca. Numbers of
Phoenicopterus minor present on the lake are known to fluctuate unpredictably.
Circus macrourus is fairly common on spring and autumn passage, with small numbers overwintering.
Aquila heliaca and
Aquila pomarina have been reported during autumn migration. A survey in February 1996 recorded substantial numbers of waterbirds, including
Tachybaptus ruficollis (150+),
Bubulcus ibis (1,800+),
Phoenicopterus minor (3,000+),
Alopochen aegyptiacus (1,000+),
Plectropterus gambensis (250+),
Fulica cristata (300+),
Philomachus pugnax (500+),
Anas acuta (300+),
Anas querquedula (200+),
Anas clypeata (500+) and
Netta erythrophthalma (150+), as well as smaller numbers of
Nettapus auritus and
Thalassornis leuconotus. There is one record of
Vanellus leucurus from Chelekleka.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The swamp is filling with silt from the surrounding farmland, and the total amount of water reaching the lake has been reduced because floods from the town that used to end in Chelekleka have now been diverted to Bishoftu lake (site ET032). It is likely that fertilizer and pesticide residues pollute the water and mud of Chelekleka (as a result of farmers being encouraged to change their production techniques). The high-yielding crop varieties currently being promoted require high doses of artificial fertilizer and crop-protection chemicals that could easily become concentrated in the water and mud of the lake and swamp. Several large-scale poultry farms are now established to the west of the lake. It is not known how and where the effluent and other waste materials from these farms are being disposed of. If they are discharged into Chelekleka, this could be a major threat to the people, animals and wildlife that use the area. The practice of capturing wildfowl, especially
Alopochen aegyptiacus, to sell to non-Ethiopians has been going on for many years, but may be increasing now as more expatriate visitors are seen in the area. It has also been suggested that a few people hunt coot and ducks. However, the majority of Ethiopians follow the Orthodox Christian or Muslim faiths that prohibit the eating of waterbirds.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chelekleka lake and swamp (Ethiopia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chelekleka-lake-and-swamp-iba-ethiopia on 23/12/2024.
