Data Zone
Country/territory: Kenya
IBA criteria met: A4i (1999)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here
Area: 26,100 hectares (261.00 km2)
| IBA conservation status | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2023 | poor | very high | low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here | |||
Site description (2001 baseline)
This area comprises a complex of marine and tidal habitats on Kenya’s north coast, stretching from just south of Malindi town southwards to beyond the entrance to Mida Creek. Habitats include inter-tidal rock, sand and mud; fringing reefs and coral gardens; beds of seagrass; coral cliffs, platforms and islets; sandy beaches; and mangrove forests. Mida Creek, a large, almost land-locked expanse of saline water, mangrove (1,600 ha) and intertidal mud (580 ha), is in the southern sector of the IBA near Watamu town and Mida village, and protected by the 3,200 ha Watamu Marine National Reserve (gazetted in 1968). Its extensive mangrove forests are also gazetted as Forest Reserves, and the extreme western tip of Mida Creek is part of the Arabuko-Sokoke Forest Reserve (IBA KE007). The remaining part of the IBA, along the open coast, is protected by the Malindi Marine National Reserve (21,300 ha), gazetted in 1976 and designated as a Biosphere Reserve in 1979. Enclosed within the reserve are the Watamu and Malindi Marine National Parks (1,000 and 600 ha respectively), which afford stricter protection. The IBA includes several coral islets, notably Whale Island at the entrance to Mida Creek and within the Watamu Marine National Park.
Key biodiversity
See Box for key species. Mida Creek is an important passage and wintering area for Palearctic migrant waders, the coastline supports important Sterna saundersi populations, and Whale Island is a significant nesting site for Sterna dougallii. The populations of Charadrius leschenaultii, C. mongolus and Dromas ardeola at Mida Creek are internationally important, and many other species use the site: up to 6,000 waders may be present at any one time. The creek is also a significant feeding area for Egretta gularis, Sterna bengalensis and S. dougallii. Common migrant shorebirds include Calidris alba, C. ferruginea, Numenius phaeopus, Pluvialis squatarola, Charadrius leschenaultii and C. mongolus. Sterna dougallii and S. anaethetus nest on Whale Island between June and October in some years. Sterna saundersi occurs in internationally important numbers along the coastline, usually feeding close to shore. The regionally threatened Casmerodius albus occurs in small and variable numbers (maximum 15).
Non-bird biodiversity: Mida Creek has important mangrove forests, with a high diversity of species including Ceriops tagal, Rhizophora mucronata, Bruguiera gymnorrhiza, Avicennia marina and Sonneratia alba. It is a key spawning ground for many fish species. The Marine Reserve and National Parks are important for the conservation of the fringing reefs, the famous coral gardens within the lagoons, and the sea grass beds, all with their attendant, diverse marine fauna and flora.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Mida Creek, Whale Island and the Malindi - Watamu coast (Kenya). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/mida-creek-whale-island-and-the-malindi--watamu-coast-iba-kenya on 27/12/2024.