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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation 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 List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	LC	non-breeding (1990)	3,000 birds	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	non-breeding (1993)	23,800 birds	A4i
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor	NT	non-breeding (2000)	588,400 birds	A1, A4i
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	LC	non-breeding (1994)	260 birds	A4i
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	LC	non-breeding (1992)	11,800 birds	A4i
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	LC	breeding (1999)	8,000 pairs	A4i
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	non-breeding (1997)	4,200 birds	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 birds	A4iii

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%)	poor
Savanna	good (>90%)	moderate (70–90%)	moderate

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Transportation and service corridors	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Pollution	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Residential and commercial development	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	no or slight decline (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>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 (management category)	% coverage of IBA
2010	Lake Elementeita Wildlife Sanctuary	Game Sanctuary (-)	35
2011	Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) (UA)	100

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

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 22/12/2024.