Lake Opeta (7067)
Uganda, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: B1
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Lake Opeta
Central coordinates: Latitude: 1.6700, Longitude: 34.1700
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1030 to 1030
Area of KBA (km2): 566.08599
Protected area coverage (%): 100.00
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: This KBA that is formed by Lake Opeta and its surrounding swamp falls in four Districts and covers 566 km2; it is the only significant wetland in the Karamoja area, and one of the few remaining intact marshes in Uganda. The IBA covers Lake Opeta itself and the surrounding marsh from Lake Bisina in the west, bordering East Teso Controlled Hunting Area in the north, Pian-Upe Wildlife Reserve in the east, and covering the seasonal grassland indicated as Lake Okolitorom on maps. The IBA is predominantly an extensive swamp of Miscanthus to the east and south, merging into dry Hyparrhenia grass savannas. Lake Opeta is a small lake in the middle of the swamp, covered by water-lilies Nymphaea with a thin fringe of papyrus Cyperus papyrus on the eastern side. There is a wooded island in the middle of the swamp called the Tisai, where a few people live. The area is mainly used by the Karamojong and Pokot people for grazing their cattle in the dry season.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site meets global KBA status for its population of Fox's weaver (Ploceus spekeoides).
Manageability of the site: This lake is partly within the Pian Upe Wildlife Reserve which is managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority. Outside the area is used by the local community, primarly for cattle grazing.
Delineation rationale: The boundary follows the wetland and lake boundary
Habitats
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Wetlands(Inland) | 1 | |
| Unknown | 21 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 55 | |
| Forest | 16 | |
| Savanna | 2 | |
| Shrubland | 1 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Small-holder farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Small-holder grazing, ranching or farming | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |