Gudo plain (6259)
Ethiopia, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Gudo plain
Central coordinates: Latitude: 9.1440, Longitude: 38.5970
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 2760 to 2760
Area of KBA (km2): 6.31207
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Gudo plain is in Welmera District (Wereda) of West Shoa Zone. It is c.25 km west of Addis Ababa, and just 12 km north-west of Gefersa Reservoir (site ET027). Gudo plain is part of the vast plains on the Central plateau of Shoa, in the Ethiopian North-western Highlands. Small streams, tributaries of the Sibilu river, drain this marshy area. The Sibilu drains into the Muger river. The vegetation of Gudo plain comprises grasses, sedges and other plants peculiar to these areas, such as Trifolium spp. (including the endemdic T. schimperi and T. calancephalum), Haplocarpha schimperi, H. hastata, a Cerastium sp. and various Cyperus spp. Chains of wetlands close to Gudo (namely Kiro, Danisa and Riqate), offer similar habitats, and are equally threatened.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for at least one criterion described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. KBA identified in the process of compiling the CEPF Ecosystem Profile of the East Afromontane Hotspot. Species taxonomy and threat category was based on IUCN Red List 2010-4.
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 3 for key species. This site is of particular importance for its large population of Vanellus melanocephalus. Rougetius rougetii is resident but in small numbers, and Macronyx flavicollis is considered fairly uncommon. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Delineation rationale: 2010-02-03 (BL Secretariat): site area was not defined in the original IBA publication/inventory; here, it has been derived by GIS from the draft polygon.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: Gudo and the other nearby valley-bottom marshes are heavily grazed. The plain is divided into small plots among community members. Cattle are confined to their owners’ plots during the rainy season, but animals graze throughout the area during the dry season. Horses are allowed to graze freely. As grazing is constant, no hay crop is (or can be) taken.