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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
Papyrus Gonolek Laniarius mufumbiri	NT	resident (1999)	present	A1, A3
Carruthers's Cisticola Cisticola carruthersi	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Papyrus Yellow Warbler Calamonastides gracilirostris	VU	resident (1999)	present	A1, A3
White-winged Swamp-warbler Bradypterus carpalis	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Black-lored Babbler Turdoides sharpei	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Red-chested Sunbird Cinnyris erythrocercus	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Northern Brown-throated Weaver Ploceus castanops	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3
Papyrus Canary Crithagra koliensis	LC	resident (1999)	present	A3

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%)	poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	rapid decline (>30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	whole of popul­ation/area (>90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	very high
Energy production and mining	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%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	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
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Residential and commercial development	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Most of area (50–90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	A management plan exists, but it is out of date or not compre­hensive	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented, but these are not compre­hensive and are limited by resources and capacity	medium

The Local Conservation Group(s) listed below are working to conserve this IBA.

Name	Year formed
Ecofinder Kenya	0
Freinds of Yala Swamp	2007
Yala Swamp Community Conservancy Organisation (Yasco)	2008
Yala swamp environment volunteers.	0

For more information on BirdLife's work with Local Conservation Groups, please visit Spotlight on local empowerment.

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Wetlands (inland)	100	Freshwater lakes and pools; Permanent herbaceous swamps and bogs

Land use	% of IBA
fisheries/aquaculture	-
agriculture	-
other	-
water management	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Yala swamp complex (Kenya). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/yala-swamp-complex-iba-kenya on 23/12/2024.