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ML006
Lac Horo
Location Mali, Tombouctou
Central coordinates 3o 55.00' West  16o 13.00' North
IBA criteria A1, A4i, A4iii
Area 18,900 ha
Altitude 260 m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See Box for key species. In addition, two species of the Sahel biome (A03) have been recorded from this site (see Table 2). Total counts of waterfowl made in nine years during the period 1972–1987 varied between 25,419 (1983) and 127,823 (1985).

Site description Lac Horo is a semi-permanent wetland located 60 km south-west of the town of Goundam at the northern end of the Inner Delta of the Niger, some 20 km south-west of Lac Télé (site ML004), but not directly connected with it. Under natural conditions the lake retained flood water from the Niger throughout the dry season in years of good rainfall, but otherwise dried out completely by April. Now the lake is separated from the river by a dam and sluice gate through which the flow of water from the river is controlled. The sluice is opened in mid-November to allow flood water to fill the lake and closed again when the desired level is reached. The lake edges support beds of Typha sp. and Polygonum senegalensis and open water is colonized by Nymphaea sp. and Vossia cuspidata.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Fulvous Whistling-duck Dendrocygna bicolor winter  1984  23,000 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Northern Pintail Anas acuta winter  1985  27,600 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Garganey Anas querquedula winter  1985  31,270 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Ferruginous Duck Aythya nyroca winter  1987  5,600 individuals  -  A1, A4i  Near Threatened 
Great Egret Casmerodius albus winter  1999  560 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Black-winged Stilt Himantopus himantopus winter  1978  1,600 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Black-tailed Godwit Limosa limosa winter  1985  6,200 individuals  -  A4i  Near Threatened 
Ruff Philomachus pugnax winter  1978  32,000 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Caspian Tern Sterna caspia winter  1979  2,000 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus winter  1980  3,000 individuals  -  A4i  Least Concern 
Yellow-breasted Barbet Trachyphonus margaritatus resident  1997  -  -    Least Concern 
Chestnut-bellied Starling Lamprotornis pulcher resident  1997  -  -    Least Concern 
A4iii Species group - waterbirds winter  -  -  unknown  A4iii   

Protected areas

Protected area Designation Area (ha) Relationship with IBA Overlap with IBA (ha)  
Delta Intérieur du Niger Wetlands of International Importance (Ramsar) 4,119,500 protected area contains site 18,900  

Habitats

IUCN habitat Habitat detail Extent (% of site)
Artificial landscapes (terrestrial)   22%
Wetlands (inland)   11%
Shrubland   18%
Forest   48%

Land use

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

Other biodiversity None known to BirdLife International.

Management considerations Lac Horo was designated a Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1987. The cultivation of millet over much of the area around the lake is bound to cause some disturbance to waterbirds and may make the site less attractive to waders, although Philomachus pugnax may prefer this man-modified habitat. In addition, the lake is fished and uncultivated parts of the margins are grazed.

Related state of the world's birds case studies

References Jones (1993), Skinner (1987).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lac Horo. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 20/06/2013

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