Data Zone
Country/territory: Niger
IBA criteria met: A4i, A4iii (2001)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 2,100 ha
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2001 | not assessed | low | not assessed |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
Kokoro wetland lies 150 km north-west of Niamey and 30 km north-east of Téra, next to the village of Kokoro and 10 km west of Namga wetland (site NE004). It is a large, shallow (0.5–1.0 m), wetland occupying part of an ancient valley surrounded by sand-dunes, some granite outcrops of Precambrian age and flat-topped hills carved from Tertiary sediments. It is a semi-permanent wetland, containing water 7–12 months of the year. At its greatest extent it is 13 km long and occupies 2,100 ha. Between 1961–1990 annual rainfall at Kokoro averaged approximately 380 mm. However, total rainfall at Kokoro varies enormously from year to year, which affects the size of the wetland (700–1,800 ha at the times of the waterbird censuses). Historically, the valley probably fed into the Niger river, from which it is now blocked at its eastern end by sand-dunes. The water of the wetland is brackish and of neutral pH, with low levels of nitrogen and high levels of phosphorus in the very sandy sediment. The substrate at the southern end contains a lot of clay and is vegetated mostly with Ludwigia adscendens. There is also some Typha sp. in the south-east. The northern end is quite sandy and covered by e.g. Echinochloa obtusifolia and Cyperus distans. The relatively small amounts of deeper, open water contain water-lilies Nymphaea lotus and N. caerulea. At the western end there is a tree-covered flood-plain several kilometres in length, where Acacia nilotica is the most common species. Smaller areas of flood-plain with trees are also found at the eastern end and fringing the southern margin.
Key biodiversity
See Box for key species. Waterbird counts made in January–February 1994–1998 and April 1997 are the only known ornithological data. Coverage was usually only partial, except when the water-level was very low. In total, 44 species of waterbird have been recorded. In January 1999 the total count was 50,191. In addition to those listed below, other notable counts include 1,000 Dendrocygna bicolor in February 1996, 2,500 Dendrocygna viduata in February 1995, 889 Plectropterus gambensis in February 1997, 251 Plegadis falcinellis in February 1995, and up to 440 Sarkidiornis melanotos and 257 Himantopus himantopus in February 1996. In addition, two Circus macrourus were seen in February 1997.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kokoro wetland (Niger). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kokoro-wetland-iba-niger on 23/11/2024.