National parks on Lake Turkana

National parks on Lake Turkana
UNESCO world heritage
Central Island in Lake Turkana
National territory:	Kenya
Type:	nature
Criteria :	(viii) (x)
Surface:	161,485 ha
Reference No .:	801
History of enrollment
Enrollment:	1997  (session 21)
Extension:	2001
Red list :	2018

National Park on Lake Turkana is one of the UNESCO -listed site of World Heritage in Kenya . The serial world heritage site comprises three national parks on and in Lake Turkana .

background

The Lake Turkana called, formerly Lake Rudolf, is located in the Rift Valley and is the second largest lake in Kenya . It is about 250 kilometers long in north-south direction, a maximum of 50 kilometers wide in east-west direction and has an area of ​​6405 square kilometers. As a final lake , it has no runoff and through evaporation it loses more water than is supplied to it. As a result, its water level gradually sinks and it becomes more and more saline .

The region around Lake Turkana is one of the sparsely populated and remote parts of Kenya. As a result, a species-rich ecosystem has been preserved here. Lake Turkana is one of the most important breeding areas for Nile crocodiles in Africa. The lake and its surroundings are an important stopover for migratory birds . With Koobi Fora is located on the lake and one of the most important sites homininer fossils from East Africa, in 1972, the Homo rudolfensis was discovered.

enrollment

In 1997 the Sibiloi National Park and the Central Island National Park were added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites based on a resolution of the 21st session of the World Heritage Committee. At the 25th meeting of the World Heritage Committee, the World Heritage site was expanded to include the South Island National Park and was named National Park on Lake Turkana.

The entry was made on the basis of criteria (ix) and (x).

Criterion (ix): The geological and fossil evidence represent important stages in the history of the earth, including evidence of life reflected in the hominid discoveries and recent geological processes represented by volcanic erosion and sedimentary landforms. The main geological features of this area date from the Pliocene and Holocene, with ages ranging from 4 million to 10,000 years. ... The Koobi Fora deposits contain pre-human, mammalian, mollusc and other fossil remains and have contributed more to the understanding of human ancestry and the Paleocene environment than any other site in the world. "

"Criterion (x): The site is characterized by diverse habitats that have resulted from ecological changes over time and range from land, water and desert landscapes to grasslands, and is inhabited by a diverse fauna . In-situ conservation within the protected areas includes endangered species, particularly reticulated giraffes , lions and Grevy's zebras , and over 350 species of aquatic and landfowl have been recorded. The Nile crocodile , amphibious hippopotamus and several species of snakes breed in the island parks . In addition, the lake is an important flight passage and stopover for Palearctic migratory birds, with the South Island Park also being designated as an important bird area under BirdLife International . The protected area around Lake Turkana offers a large and valuable laboratory for studying plant and animal communities. "

scope

Koobi Fora in the Sibiloi National Park

The World Heritage Site comprises three separate areas and has a total area of ​​161,485 hectares . The national parks that make up the World Heritage Site are:

• the Sibiloi National Park , founded in 1973, size 157,085 ha, an arid semi-desert on the eastern shore of the northern part of the lake ( location ),
• the Central Island National Park , size 500 ha, a volcanic island in the central part of the lake ( location ), and
• the South Island National Park , size 3,900 ha, an island in the southern part of the lake ( location ), the largest island in the lake.

Danger

The Turkana gets around 90% of its water from its largest and only year-round tributary, the Omo . The construction of the Gilgel Gibe III dam in Ethiopia threatened the regular flow of water to the lake. Further environmental threats to Lake Turkana could arise from the Kuraz Sugar Development Project, an Ethiopian project for a sugar industry on the Omo, and from the LAPSSET Corridor Project, a transport project in Kenya, which includes a resort on Lake Turkana. The World Heritage Committee sees the outstanding universal importance of the site threatened and therefore included the national parks on Lake Turkana in the Red List of World Heritage in Danger at its 42nd meeting in 2018 .

literature

• Lake Turkana National Park . In: The World Heritage . Frederking & Thaler, Munich 2015, ISBN 978-3-95416-181-2 , pp. 517 .
• Lake Turkana National Park . In: The UNESCO World Heritage . Kunth Verlag, Munich 2017, ISBN 978-3-95504-413-8 , pp. 580 .

Web links

Commons : Lake Turkana  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• National parks on Lake Turkana on the UNESCO World Heritage Center website ( English and French ).

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Official names English Lake Turkana National Parks , French Parcs nationaux du Lac Turkana , German translation according to the World Heritage List. In: Unesco.de. Retrieved July 12, 2020 . 
2. ↑ ^{a b c} Lake Turkana National Parks. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed July 12, 2020 . 
3. ↑ Decision: CONF 208 VIII.A - Inscription: Sibiloi / Central Island National Parks (Kenya). In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, 1997, accessed July 12, 2020 . 
4. ↑ Decision: CONF 208 XB - Lake Turkana National Parks [Extension of Sibiloi / Central Island National Parks] (Kenya). In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, 2001, accessed July 12, 2020 . 
5. ↑ Lake Turkana National Parks. Maps. In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, accessed July 12, 2020 . 
6. ↑ Decision: 42 COM 7B.92 - Lake Turkana National Parks (Kenya). In: whc.unesco.org. UNESCO World Heritage Center, 2018, accessed July 14, 2020 . 

 Map with all coordinates: OSM | WikiMap