Kenya - Lake Bogoria National Reserve

Lake Bogoria National Reserve covers 107km2 within a catchment basin that forms the arid and semiarid areas of northern Kenya.. Although the area is protected, it is vulnerable to siltation and pollution. The river has only one major river that feeds it. The Waseges river which drains into the lake originates on the northern edges of the Aberdare ranges. In the upper zones on the slopes of the Aberdare range, the river transverse through intensive agricultural lands where coffee is grown with heavy input of agro-chemicals. The middle zones are dominated by bush and scub lands which are dominated by grazing areas. At the lower zones before it enters the northern part of the lake the river goes through a very dry area dominated by bush and scrubland. The hot springs on the western edge of the lake attract a large number of visitors creating problems (solid wastes pollution, and destruction of fragile rocks at the hot-springs). The lake's biodiversity is seriously threatened by siltation and tourism is also expanding rapidly in the area. There are also local initiatives of rehabilitating the land and improving availability of pasture through sowing of grass and cover crops. The lake supports large numbers of flamingos and in some occasions as many as 2 million can be found feeding in the lake. The lake has no macrophytes but its phytoplanktonic flora is dominated by Spirulina platensis, which is dominant in most parts of the lake.