Lower Kaduna - Middle Niger flood-plain (6745)
Nigeria, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Lower Kaduna - Middle Niger flood-plain
Central coordinates: Latitude: 8.8333, Longitude: 5.8333
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 60 to 60
Area of KBA (km2): 730.86827
Protected area coverage (%): 81.86
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site comprises a stretch of the middle Niger river and associated flood-plains, together with the lower reaches of the Kaduna river below the Wuya bridge near Bida. The rivers are characterized by broad channels with numerous sandbanks which become small islands during the dry season when the river levels drop. Extensive low-lying areas of fadama beside the rivers become flooded during the wet season. These and the adjoining savanna woodlands are intensively farmed, resulting in fragmentation and degradation of both the Mitragyna swamp-forests along the banks of the rivers and the surrounding savanna woodlands. Trees found in remnant forest patches include Uapaca togoensis, Berlinia, Pterocarpus and Terminalia spp. Elaeis guineensis, Diospyros mespiliformis and Napoleona sp. also grow in these riparian forests. Where undisturbed by farming, the woodlands are typical of the southern Guinea Savanna, with characteristic trees such as Vitellaria paradoxa, Daniellia oliveri and Parkia biglobosa.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: See Box and Table 3 for key species. The site is an important breeding area for Merops malimbicus with colonies of over 15,000 birds, seen in 1989 and 1996, near Tamaworo on the lower Kaduna river. Other nationally uncommon birds include Ciconia episcopus, Pteronetta hartlaubii and Nettapus auritus. Over 100 Pluvianus aegyptius and more than 150 Glareola cinerea have been counted. Glareola cinerea breeds, as does Sterna albifrons, while several Merops nubicus colonies occur in the eroded riverbanks. Indicator indicator, brood-parasites of the bee-eaters, are common visitors to the M. malimbicus colonies. In addition, four species of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome (A05) have also been recorded; see Table 3. 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
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 17 | |
| Forest | 15 | |
| Wetlands(Inland) | 7 | |
| Shrubland | 58 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The area is entirely unprotected. Unseasonal flooding of the sandbanks, caused by the release of water from the Shiroro Dam upstream, is reported to have destroyed the M. malimbicus colonies on several occasions. Children also sometimes swim across arms of the river to play on the sandbanks where the bee-eaters breed. Farming activities and the associated bush-burning, especially in riparian areas, are serious threats to these habitats. Most of the fadama lands are used for rice cultivation.
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Nomadic grazing | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Intentional use: large scale (species being assessed is the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Intentional use: large scale (species being assessed is the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Only in the future |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | Abstraction of surface water (commercial use) | Only in the future |
| Pollution | Agricultural & forestry effluents | Soil erosion, sedimentation | Ongoing |
| Pollution | Excess energy | Noise pollution | Ongoing |
| Transportation & service corridors | Shipping lanes | Ongoing | |
| Human intrusions & disturbance | Work & other activities | Ongoing | |
| Natural system modifications | Other ecosystem modifications | Only in the future | |
| Geological events | Avalanches/landslides | Only in the future | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Habitat shifting & alteration | Ongoing | |
| Climate change & severe weather | Storms & flooding | Only in the future |
Additional information
References: Brown (1948), Ezealor (in prep.).