The journey from Klein’s Gate (Serengeti) to Lake Natron takes 8 hours. Mgimwa executivedirectornaturetanzania.or. 667-675 ARTICLE The influence of physicalchemical variables on phytoplankton and lesser flamingo ( Phoeniconaias minor) abundances in Lake Natron, Tanzania Emmanuel F. The road leads from Mto wa Mbu through numerous villages towards Lake Natron (approx. African Journal of Ecology Volume 59, Issue 3 p. The lake is extremely remote and can only be reached after several hours’ drive from either Karatu/Lake Manyara or North Serengeti. The long-legged waterfowl may flourish, but to any other living creature, Lake Natron is. It is suggested that the extremely hot mud and highly alkaline water protects the bird’s nests from predators. The Rift Valleys Lake Natron is the chosen mating ground of the endangered lesser flamingo. Lake Natron is East Africa’s only known breeding ground for the Lesser Flamingo. In Botswana, the breeding area at the Makgadikgadi salt pans was listed as a Flamingo sanctuary in 2009, and a management plan for this site has been developed (Kootsositse 2012). Flamingo and pelican are the region’s star attraction. Two of the lesser flamingo's preferred habitats, Lake Bogoria in Kenya and Lake Natron in Tanzania, are hypersaline and hostile to practically all other forms of life (Natron water can. Animal concentrations are not particularly high, but visitors are more than likely to come across zebra and giraffe. Normally, many animals migrate to Lake Natron in search of water during the rainy season, particularly in July from the hotter Lake Manyara and Tarangire regions. Other animals that inhabit this area are zebra, ostrich, fringed eared oryx, gazelle, gerenuk, lesser kudu, and golden jackal. Because the flamingos use this area for breeding the lake and its surrounding is under the International concern for preservation. The flamingos feed with the lakes Spirulina algae. They build their nests using the soda flats between August and October. In the slightly less salty water around its margins, some fish can also survive.įor wildlife in Lake Natron is so rare but the Lake is a breeding place for thousands of Rift Valley Flamingos. Nonetheless, Lake Natron is home to some endemic algae, invertebrates, and birds. Wildlife in Lake Natron since most animals find the lake’s high temperature (up to 60 ☌ ) and its high and variable salt content inhospitable. Ruaha National Park | Enclose Africa Safaris.for the abundance of blue-green algae, which is food for the lesser flamingo. Lake Magadi, used in 1962 when Lake Natron was full of water. Description, Lake Natron is a soda lake in the Great Rift Valley of East. The only known regular breeding site is on soda mudflats at Lake Natron, Tanzania. And a WWF conservation initiative in southern Kenya and northern Tanzania-which aims to protect forests and wildlife habitats, conserve freshwater, and promote climate-smart agriculture-will likewise help protect Lake Natron. This paper summarizes what has been learned about the breeding behaviour of the Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor from 1954 to 1969, especially at Lake Magadi, Kenya, in 1962. In the Lake Naivasha Basin, WWF-Kenya is using an integrated approach to tackle water challenges and further conserve the lake. It is famed for the massive flocks of these pink birds and the. The birds benefit when the integrity of their preferred lake habitats is protected. This salty water body makes life almost impossible. Lake Natron is the main breeding ground in East Africa for millions of Lesser Flamingos. Excessive freshwater flowing into the lakes can make the algae disappear, and high nutrient levels can lead to excess algae bloom, which removes oxygen from the lakes. Human activities, in the forms of wastewater pollution, mining, and inappropriate types of agriculture, threaten the health of the lakes. The presence of volcanic minerals in the lakes creates the right kind of salinity for blue-green algae to bloom and nourish the leggy birds, and it's the red-orange pigment hidden in the algae that infuses their feathers with pink.īut this seemingly ideal setting is being disrupted, and lesser flamingo populations have been decreasing. They arrive with two main items on their agenda: to consume blue-green algae and to breed. Millions of lesser flamingos-known for their light pink plumage and long necks-gather in saline and semisaline lakes such as Bogoria and Naivasha in Kenya and Natron in Tanzania. When conditions are right, some of the lakes in East Africa’s Great Rift Valley turn pink.
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