Lufira valley (6075)
Congo, The Democratic Republic of the, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Lufira valley
Central coordinates: Latitude: -10.9667, Longitude: 26.9167
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1100 to 1100
Area of KBA (km2): 580.42807
Protected area coverage (%): 67.42
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: An area of swamp, grassland and wooded savanna and an artificial lake in the Lufira valley in south-eastern DR Congo, east of the town of Likasi. The Lufira river is a major tributary of the Congo which rises in southern Katanga. In its upper reaches the river meanders through a large swampy depression situated in the centre of vast alluvial plains. Since the building of a dam in 1926, this depression has been partly flooded and a shallow lake, Lake Lufira (or Lake Tshangalele), has formed. The area comprising the central and peripheral plains and the lake is about 95,000 ha in extent; the flooded parts cover a maximum of c.44,000 ha. The altitude is of the lake is 1,100 m, while the surrounding chain of low mountains rises above 1,300 m. Vegetation-types include permanent swamps with Typha and Cyperus and various savannas (from open and wet to drier, wooded types) characterized by Isoberlinia, Uapaca, Syzygium, Loudetia simplex, Digitaria scalarum, Hyparrhenia rufa, Themeda triandra, Pterocarpus and Acacia. Water-levels in the Lufira are highest during February–March and lowest at the end of the dry season (September–October). Average annual rainfall is c.1,200 mm, with February and March the wettest months. Human population densities vary; they used to be highest on the western side of the lake. The creation of the lake has resulted in the settlement of many fishermen.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance because it meets one or more previously established criteria and thresholds for identifying sites of biodiversity importance (including Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas, Alliance for Zero Extinction sites, and Key Biodiversity Areas)
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Ploceus ruweti is restricted to the swamps bordering Lake Lufira; there is no recent information on its status. Balaeniceps rex has been recorded. There are also records of Falco naumanni and Crex crex. The site may constitute a stop-over site for waterbirds migrating between the lakes and wetlands of the Upper Congo and those of the Upper Zambezi. Non-bird biodiversity: No information is available, other than that the mammal Loxodonta africana (EN) occurs.
Habitats
Land use: fisheries/aquaculture | nature conservation and research
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 57 | |
| Forest | 22 | |
| Shrubland | 19 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Lake Lufira was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1982. Threats are unknown.