Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
The shallow Lake Bisina covers an area of about 192 km², and is some 32 km long by 6 km wide, with a thin strip of fringing papyrus (
Cyperus papyrus) swamp. The major river entering the lake is the Apedura, which flows from the north. It has a 30-km long and up to 6.5-km wide flood-plain. The IBA includes the marsh at the south-western end of the lake, beginning with a shallow part dominated by submerged and partially submerged plants such as
Nymphaea,
Najas and
Ceratophyllum. The lake edge is covered by floating grass
Vossia that extends into seasonal
Hyparrhenia-dominated grassland.
Echinochloa grass also grows extensively in the swamp, forming strong mats on the edges of the marsh
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species.
Ploceus spekeoides appears to be common in the vicinity of water, at least during the breeding season. A total of 47 nests were counted in early August 1996, but it has not been recorded breeding since. The type-specimen was obtained from Nariam in central Teso. However, the swamp around Nariam has since been drained. The status of this species is not well-known, but its distribution seems to be restricted to the north-eastern part of Uganda. There have been unconfirmed records from Rhino Camp in Arua and south of Lake Kyoga near Nakasongola.
Ploceus castanops breeds extensively in the short papyrus fringing the lake. Other notable papyrus species include
Bradypterus carpalis,
Cisticola carruthersi and
Serinus koliensis. There is suitable habitat for the globally threatened
Chloropeta gracilirostris, but the species has yet to be recorded.
Non-bird biodiversity: Local communities hunt the ungulate Tragelaphus spekii (LR/nt).
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The area is not well-known and little information on biodiversity exists. Lake Bisina falls outside the Karamoja protected-area system and there are no conservation measures known or proposed for the lake or the surrounding areas. The lake is very important for the surrounding local communities in terms of fishing, transport, as a source of water for domestic use and a source of food (
Nymphaea rhizomes) during famine. Local communities should be made aware of its importance so that they do not engage in activities likely to jeopardize its survival.Hunting of
Balaeniceps rex with shotguns is common in this area and the docile behaviour of the species makes it easy prey. There is need for a public-awareness campaign to reduce the hunting pressure.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Bisina (Uganda). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-bisina-iba-uganda on 22/12/2024.
