• Summary
• Text account
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• Map
• Reference and further resources

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 Sandplover Charadrius leschenaultii	LC	winter	-	1,250 individuals	A4i
Charadrius mongolus	NR	winter	-	1,500 individuals	A4i
Crab-plover Dromas ardeola	LC	non-breeding	-	800 individuals	A4i
Saunders's Tern Sternula saundersi	LC	non-breeding	-	5,700 individuals	A4i
Roseate Tern Sterna dougallii	LC	breeding	-	1,500 breeding pairs	A4i

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
Forest	moderate (70-90%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	happening now	whole area/population (>90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	likely in short term (within 4 years)	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	likely in short term (within 4 years)	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Energy production and mining	likely in short term (within 4 years)	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Pollution	likely in long term (beyond 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low

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	No management planning has taken place	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1968	Malindi	Marine National Reserve	72
1968	Watamu	Marine National Reserve	14
1968	Watamu	Marine National Park	4
1968	Mallindi	Marine National Park	2
1968	Malindi-Watamu	Marine National Reserve	94
1979	Malindi-Watamu	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve	75

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Marine Intertidal		major (>10)
Marine Neritic		major (>10)
Forest	Lowland forest - dry deciduous, Lowland forest - dry evergreen	minor (<10)
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		minor (<10)

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
tourism/recreation	major (>10)
fisheries/aquaculture	minor (<10)
nature conservation and research	-

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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 23/11/2024.