Flamingos under threat: Climate impact jeopardising delicate balance of Tanzania’s Lake Natron

Sub: Environment

Sec: Species in news

Threats to Flamingos at Lake Natron- Tanzania:

Millions of pink flamingos transform Lake Natron, Tanzania, into a dazzling sight, but this is under threat due to human activities and climate change.
Lake Natron and Lake Bogoria in Kenya, part of Africa’s Great Rift Valley, are hostile to most life but ideal for flamingos due to their caustic soda and hypersaline water.
Lake Natron, a Ramsar site, has the perfect conditions for flamingos, but this balance is being disrupted.

Causes of Disruption:

Factors like agriculture, pollution, and climate change are altering water levels and salinity, impacting flamingo nesting sites.
Extreme weather causes flooding and salinity reduction, affecting algae growth which is crucial for flamingo food.
Prolonged dry seasons concentrate salinity beyond algae tolerance, causing food shortages for flamingos.

Human Impact and Conservation Efforts:

A proposed soda ash extraction project in 2006, abandoned in 2008, exemplifies ongoing threats to the ecosystem.
Mining activities near the lake could force flamingos to abandon it due to disturbance, crucial for their nesting and reproduction.
Local communities are educating about sustainable water practices to protect the flamingos and balance human-wildlife needs.
Flamingos attract tourists, contributing significantly to Tanzania’s GDP and foreign exchange revenues.
Flamingos across Africa’s Great Rift Valley face similar threats, making them vital environmental indicators.

Flamingo:

Flamingos are a type of wading bird in the family Phoenicopteridae, which is the only extant family in the order Phoenicopteriformes.
There are four flamingo species distributed throughout the Americas (including the Caribbean), and two species native to Afro-Eurasia.
A group of flamingoes is called a “flamboyance”.
Species: Six extant flamingo species are recognized by most sources and were formerly placed in one genus (have common characteristics) – Phoenicopterus.

Species	Geographic location
Greater flamingo (Phoenicopterus roseus)	Parts of Africa, S. Europe and S. and SW Asia (most widespread flamingo).
Lesser flamingo (Phoeniconaias minor)	Africa (e.g. Great Rift Valley) to NW India (most numerous flamingos).
Chilean flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis)	Temperate S. South America.
James’s or Puna flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi)	High Andes in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.
Andean flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus)	High Andes in Peru, Chile, Bolivia and Argentina.
American or Caribbean flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber)	Caribbean islands, Caribbean Mexico, southern Florida, Belize, coastal Colombia, northern Brazil, Venezuela and Galápagos Islands.

Lake Natron:

Lake Natron is a salt or alkaline lake located in the north Ngorongoro District of Arusha Region in Tanzania at the border with Kenya.
It is in the Gregory Rift, which is the eastern branch of the East African Rift.
The lake is within the Lake Natron Basin, a Ramsar Site wetland of international significance.
It is the only regular breeding area for Africa’s lesser flamingoes, although this habitat is not protected and is under threat from planned development projects.

Lake Bogoria:

Lake Bogoria (formerly Lake Hannington) is a saline, alkaline lake that lies in a volcanic region in a half-graben basin south of Lake Baringo, Kenya, a little north of the equator.
Lake Bogoria, like Lake Nakuru, Lake Elementeita, and Lake Magadi further south in the Rift Valley, and Lake Logipi to the north, is home at times to one of the world’s largest populations of lesser flamingos.
The lake is a Ramsar site and Lake Bogoria National Reserve has been a protected National Reserve since November 29, 1973.
Lake Bogoria is shallow (about 10 m depth), and is about 34 km long by 3.5 km wide, with a drainage basin of 700 km2. It is Located in Baringo County.

Source: DTE