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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
Little Grebe Tachybaptus ruficollis	LC	non-breeding (1991)	7,860 birds	A4i
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	LC	non-breeding (1993)	600 birds	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	non-breeding (1991)	9,940 birds	A4i
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor	NT	non-breeding (1993)	1,448,000 birds	A1, A4i
Yellow-billed Stork Mycteria ibis	LC	non-breeding (1991)	1,620 birds	A4i
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	LC	non-breeding (1992)	580 birds	A4i
Malagasy Pond Heron Ardeola idae	EN	non-breeding (-)	present	A1
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	LC	non-breeding (1992)	44,430 birds	A4i
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus	LC	non-breeding (1991)	3,120 birds	A4i
Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus	LC	non-breeding (1991)	9,040 birds	A4i
Common Gull-billed Tern Gelochelidon nilotica	LC	winter (1992)	1,390 birds	A4i
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	passage (-)	present	A1
Grey-crested Helmetshrike Prionops poliolophus	NT	resident (1999)	present	A1, A2
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	non-breeding (1993)	1,000,000-2,499,999 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
Grassland	poor (40–69%)	poor (40–69%)	very poor
Wetlands (inland)	poor (40–69%)	poor (40–69%)	very poor
Forest	moderate (70–90%)	moderate (70–90%)	poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Residential and commercial development	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Pollution	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Transportation and service corridors	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	Unknown	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1968	Lake Nakuru	National Park (II)	100
2011	Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed) (UA)	100

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Wetlands (inland)	20	Saline lakes
Forest	-	Woodland - monodominant
Grassland	-	Grassland - edaphic, wet

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-
agriculture	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake Nakuru National Park (Kenya). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-nakuru-national-park-iba-kenya on 23/12/2024.