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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
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	non-breeding	1992	2,580 individuals	A4i
Pink-backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens	LC	non-breeding	1992	1,060 individuals	A4i
Common Ringed Plover Charadrius hiaticula	LC	winter	1992	13,600 individuals	A4i
Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius	LC	non-breeding	1992	8,600 individuals	A4i
Caspian Plover Charadrius asiaticus	LC	winter	1992	500 individuals	A4i
Spur-winged Lapwing Vanellus spinosus	LC	non-breeding	1992	6,930 individuals	A4i
Little Stint Calidris minuta	LC	winter	1992	113,000 individuals	A4i
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	non-breeding	1992	100,000-499,999 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

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Pollution	likely in short term (within 4 years)	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Natural system modifications	likely in short term (within 4 years)	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	high
Transportation and service corridors	likely in long term (beyond 4 years)	whole area/population (>90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Biological resource use	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	likely in long term (beyond 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Energy production and mining	likely in long term (beyond 4 years)	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%)	No management planning has taken place	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	negligible

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1973	Sibiloi	National Park	1
1983	South Island	National Park	1
1983	Central Island	National Park	<1
1997	Lake Turkana National Parks	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed)	21

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Wetlands (inland)	Saline lakes	100

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

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

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