Kidepo (6820)
South Sudan, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2011
National site name: Kidepo
Central coordinates: Latitude: 4.2360, Longitude: 33.3440
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 500 to 2623
Area of KBA (km2): 7539.42178
Protected area coverage (%): 37.36
KBA classification: Global/Regional TBD
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: The site is located to the east of the Imatong mountains (site SD020) on the Ugandan border, and is contiguous with the Kidepo Valley National Park in Uganda (IBA UG030). It includes the Dongotona mountains to the west and the southern part of the Didinga hills to the east, between which lies the Kidepo Game Reserve, in the valleys of the Kidepo and the Omoro rivers, and which extends north to the Torit–Kapoeta road. The Game Reserve consists principally of Acacia short-grass savanna with low ranges of rocky, scrub-covered hills, while the Dongatona mountains and Didinga hills support areas of forest and montane shrubland similar in composition to those of the Imatong mountains but much smaller in area.
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) 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 2 for key species. In addition, Circus macrourus has been recorded at this site, and one species characteristic of the Sahel biome (A03) and three of the Guinea–Congo Forests biome (A05) are also believed to occur (see Table 2). Non-bird biodiversity: The following mammals of global conservation concern occur, or used to do so: Acinonyx jubatus (VU), Loxodonta africana (EN) and Tragelaphus imberbis (LR/cd).
Delineation rationale: 2013-07-10 (BL Secretariat): following CEPF East Afromontane ecosystem profiling process, the reported IBA area of 200000 ha has been changed to 750000 ha (as measured in GIS from latest boundary polygon, rounded to nearest 10%).
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | nature conservation and research
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Shrubland | 50 | |
| Forest | 14 | |
| Grassland | 1 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 27 | |
| Unknown | 4 |
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The area is heavily populated by the Didinga and other cattle-owning people, and consequently grazing pressure is high. Hunting pressure is also high. It has been reported that the Game Reserve is now full of human settlements. Plans for gold-mining in the Didinga hills are a potential threat.
Additional information
References: El Badawi and Hakim (1985), Wildlife Conservation and National Parks Forces (1991).