Kidepo National park (7070)
Uganda, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1b, A1c
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Kidepo National park
Central coordinates: Latitude: 3.8500, Longitude: 33.8100
System: terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1220 to 2750
Area of KBA (km2): 1453.46825
Protected area coverage (%): 99.37
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Kidepo Valley National Park lies in the north-eastern corner of Uganda in the Karamoja region, rising dramatically from an altitude of between 900–1,200 m at the border with Sudan up to 2,750 m atop the forested Mount Morungole. It comprises semi-arid plains interspersed with hills, rocky outcrops and mountain ranges. One third of the park lies in the Narus Valley in the south and west, with two-thirds occupying the Kidepo Valley system in the east and north-east. Life in the park revolves around these two seasonal rivers. The Narus has water for about six months of the year and has well-developed Acacia-wooded savanna, but the Kidepo holds surface water only during the wettest seasons. Permanent water-holes are few and far between. The Acacia savanna merges in the south into a fire-climax grassland, tree- and shrub-steppe, and bushland, with c.2,000 ha of forest on the higher mountain slopes.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: Three species of bird trigger global KBA status at this site: Karamoja apalis (Apalis karamojae), lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotos) and Ruppell's Griffon Vulture (Gyps rueppelli).
Manageability of the site: The site is managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority as a national park. Some tourists visit but it is away from the usual tourist circuits.
Supersedes another site: Boundary also revised to use shapefile used by Uganda Government
Other site values: The Ik people have small communities that live near the border of the park
Delineation rationale: The boundary of the site follows the legally gazetted boundary of the national park as recognised by the Uganda Government
Habitats
Land use: Managed by Uganda Wildlife Authority for conservation.
| IUCN Habitat | Coverage % | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Forest | 4 | |
| Artificial - Terrestrial | 42 | |
| Grassland | 1 | |
| Shrubland | 51 |
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Natural system modifications | Fire & fire suppression | Increase in fire frequency/intensity | Ongoing |
| Climate change & severe weather | Droughts | Ongoing | |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Livestock farming & ranching | Nomadic grazing | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Logging & wood harvesting | Unintentional effects: subsistence/small scale (species being assessed is not the target) [harvest] | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Gathering terrestrial plants | Unintentional effects (species being assessed is not the target) | Ongoing |
| Biological resource use | Hunting & collecting terrestrial animals | Intentional use (species being assessed is the target) | Ongoing |