Tana River Delta (Kenya) IBA | Summary

KE022

Tana River Delta This is an IBA in Danger!

Current view: summary

Country/territory: Kenya

IBA criteria met: A1, A3, A4i, A4iii (1999)
For more information about IBA criteria, please click here

Area: 130,000 hectares (1,300.00 km²)

NatureKenya

IBA conservation status
Year of assessment (most recent)	State (condition)	Pressure (threat)	Response (action)
2023	very poor	very high	medium
For more information about IBA monitoring, please click here

Site summary

The Tana River Delta (KE022) is Kenya’s largest and second largest delta in East Africa. It consists of a remarkable range of freshwater, floodplain, estuarine and coastal habitats with extensive mangroves, intertidal zones and pristine coastlines, forming a large and remarkably productive coastal ecosystem. The KBA is also a gazetted Ramsar Site, a Global Biodiversity Hotspot, a proposed World Heritage Site, under United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and is part of the Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa Hotspot. It supports immense biodiversity consisting of an assemblage of plant and animal species, some of which are endemic and globally endangered. It also sustains over 250, 000 people practicing agriculture, fishing, pastoralism, and depending on the delta’s complex ecosystem services.

Acknowledgements

We acknowledge efforts by the different teams of experts working tirelessly to ensure that the Tana Delta Complex ecosystem is well managed to assure a steady flow of ecosystem services and thriving of healthy biodiversity and the ecosystem at large.

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Tana River Delta (Kenya). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/tana-river-delta-iba-kenya on 22/12/2024.