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CD019
Lufira valley
Location Congo, The Democratic Republic of the, Katanga
Central coordinates 26o 55.00' East  10o 58.00' South
IBA criteria A1, A2, A3
Area 14,700 ha
Altitude 1,100 m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. Ploceus ruweti is restricted to the swamps bordering Lake Lufira; there is no recent information on its status. Balaeniceps rex has been recorded. There are also records of Falco naumanni and Crex crex. The site may constitute a stop-over site for waterbirds migrating between the lakes and wetlands of the Upper Congo and those of the Upper Zambezi.

Site description An area of swamp, grassland and wooded savanna and an artificial lake in the Lufira valley in south-eastern DR Congo, east of the town of Likasi. The Lufira river is a major tributary of the Congo which rises in southern Katanga. In its upper reaches the river meanders through a large swampy depression situated in the centre of vast alluvial plains. Since the building of a dam in 1926, this depression has been partly flooded and a shallow lake, Lake Lufira (or Lake Tshangalele), has formed. The area comprising the central and peripheral plains and the lake is about 95,000 ha in extent; the flooded parts cover a maximum of c.44,000 ha. The altitude is of the lake is 1,100 m, while the surrounding chain of low mountains rises above 1,300 m. Vegetation-types include permanent swamps with Typha and Cyperus and various savannas (from open and wet to drier, wooded types) characterized by Isoberlinia, Uapaca, Syzygium, Loudetia simplex, Digitaria scalarum, Hyparrhenia rufa, Themeda triandra, Pterocarpus and Acacia. Water-levels in the Lufira are highest during February–March and lowest at the end of the dry season (September–October). Average annual rainfall is c.1,200 mm, with February and March the wettest months. Human population densities vary; they used to be highest on the western side of the lake. The creation of the lake has resulted in the settlement of many fishermen.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Shoebill Balaeniceps rex resident  -  present [units unknown]  -  A1  Vulnerable 
Dickinson's Kestrel Falco dickinsoni resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus resident  -  present [units unknown]  -  A1  Vulnerable 
Coppery-tailed Coucal Centropus cupreicaudus resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Racket-tailed Roller Coracias spatulatus resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Boehm's Bee-eater Merops boehmi resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Angola Babbler Turdoides hartlaubii resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Lake Lufira Weaver Ploceus ruweti resident  2000  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A2, A3  Data Deficient 

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Vallée de la Lufira UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve 14,700 is identical to site 14,700  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Wetlands (inland)   57%
Shrubland   19%
Forest   22%

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
fisheries/aquaculture -
nature conservation and research -

Other biodiversity No information is available, other than that the mammal Loxodonta africana (EN) occurs.

Management considerations Lake Lufira was declared a Biosphere Reserve in 1982. Threats are unknown.

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lufira valley. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 25/05/2013

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