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KE060
Sio Port swamp
Location Kenya, Western Province
Central coordinates 34o 1.00' East  0o 14.00' North
IBA criteria A1, A3
Area 400 ha
Altitude 1,130 m
Year of IBA assessment 2001

NatureKenya



Ornithological information See Box and Table 3 for key species. This is an important site for Lake Victoria biome species, especially three papyrus endemics: Laniarius mufumbiri (relatively common), Bradypterus carpalis and Serinus koliensis. The globally threatened Chloropeta gracilirostris is not yet recorded but is likely to occur.

Site description This site is a papyrus Cyperus papyrus swamp at the extreme north of the Kenyan section of Lake Victoria, on the Kenya/Uganda border. The site consists of mature, almost undisturbed, continuous papyrus stands, stretching from the mouth of the Sio river southwards for about 3.5 km along the lakeshore.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Papyrus Gonolek Laniarius mufumbiri resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A1, A3  Near Threatened 
Carruthers's Cisticola Cisticola carruthersi resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-winged Scrub-warbler Bradypterus carpalis resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Sharpe's Pied-babbler Turdoides sharpei resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Red-chested Sunbird Nectarinia erythrocerca resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Northern Brown-throated Weaver Ploceus castanops resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Papyrus Canary Serinus koliensis resident  1999  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Wetlands (inland) Permanent herbaceous swamps and bogs  100%

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
agriculture -
other -
Notes: cutting of papyrus

Other biodiversity None known to BirdLife International.

Management considerations Sio Port is an important site because of the size of the swamp and its relatively pristine condition. Like other papyrus swamps around Lake Victoria, it is increasingly threatened by unsustainable use, and is in urgent need of better protection. Infestation by the exotic water-hyacinth Eichhornia crassipes in many parts of the lake has prevented fishermen from fishing, forcing them to seek alternative forms of livelihood and adding greatly to the human pressure on wetlands. Papyrus shows remarkable powers of regeneration, but excessive cutting for the local mat-making industry, combined with large-scale clearing for cultivating rice and other crops, could rapidly destroy this wetland. Further survey work needs to be carried out at Sio Port to establish whether the threatened Chloropeta gracilirostris is present, and if so, at what densities.

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Sio Port swamp. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 24/05/2013

To provide new information to update this factsheet or to correct any errors, please email BirdLife