WORLD – CLASS WATERS

Kenya currently has 6 World Heritage Sites. The Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley is one, Fort Jesus in Mombasa, Lamu Old Town, the sacred Mijikenda Kaya Forest, Lake Turkana National Parks and Mount Kenya National Park and Natural Forest.

Officially known as the Kenya Lake System in the Great Rift Valley, the new World Heritage Site consists of the three interlinked, relatively shallow lakes of Bogoria, Nakuru and Elementaita. Not only do these water wonderlands ooze natural beauty, but they are also home to 13 globally threatened bird species and some of the highest levels of avian diversity in the world. The World Heritage site is the single most important foraging site for the lesser flamingo and a major nesting and breeding ground for great white pelicans.

Bird Life International, Nature Kenya, the National Museum of Kenya and the Kenya Wildlife Service worked on a study of the importance of the Kenya Lake System which was used in the Kenya Government’s submission to UNESCO. The Kenya Rift Lakes is a major inscription for UNESCO and a powerful stepping stone for the conservation of the whole of the Great Rift Valley.

All three lakes regularly support large foraging populations of lesser flamingos, sometimes reaching two million at Lake Bogoria, which at times also supports the highest population of greater flamingo in the entire Great Rift Valley chain of alkaline lakes. Lake Elementaita is a key breeding site for the great white pelican, with over 8000 breeding pairs, the largest in Africa. In total, more than 400 species of the birds have been recorded on and around the lakes, including over 50 Palaearctic migrant species.

Due to its importance as a migratory corridor for millions of birds, Bird Life is pressing for the entire African segment of the Great Rift Valley to be recognized as a World Heritage Site – with Lake Natron in Tanzania being given special consideration since it is the breeding site of all the lesser flamingos in East Africa.