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The site was identified as important in 1999 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 List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	LC	non-breeding	1990	3,000 individuals	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	non-breeding	1993	23,800 individuals	A4i
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor	NT	non-breeding	2000	588,400 individuals	A1, A4i
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	LC	non-breeding	1994	260 individuals	A4i
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	LC	non-breeding	1992	11,800 individuals	A4i
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	LC	breeding	1999	8,000 breeding pairs	A4i
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	non-breeding	1997	4,200 individuals	A4i
Grey-crested Helmetshrike Prionops poliolophus	NT	resident	1999	present	A1, A2
Jackson's Widowbird Euplectes jacksoni	NT	resident	1999	present	A1, A2
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	non-breeding	-	500,000-999,999 individuals	A4iii

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (1999) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1999. The most recent assessment (2023) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Wetlands (inland)	moderate (70-90%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable
Savanna	good (> 90%)	moderate (70-90%)	near favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Transportation and service corridors	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A comprehensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	high

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
2010	Lake Elementaita	National Sanctuary	83
2010	Lake Elementeita Wildlife Sanctuary	Game Sanctuary	35
2011	Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed)	100

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Wetlands (inland)	Saline lakes	30
Savanna	Bushland & thicket - evergreen	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	-
urban/industrial/transport	-
tourism/recreation	-
forestry	-

The larger part consisting of water is owned and managed by the government while the lake buffer zone is privately owned

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Elmenteita (Kenya). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-elmenteita-iba-kenya on 22/11/2024.