Sites - Important Bird Areas (IBAs)

Ornithological information See Box and Table 2 for key species. In addition, it is possible that Prinia fluviatilis (Data Deficient), may occur in marginal vegetation. Total counts of waterfowl made in 12 years during the period 1977–1998 varied between 26,446 (1980) and 534,552 (1994).

Site description This site is part of the Inner Delta of the Niger and is located about 90 km north of Mopti, to the east of the town of Youvarou. It comprises an area of almost level flood-plain and includes a number of seasonally inundated lakes (of which Lac Débo and Lac Oualado Débo are by far the largest), ponds and river channels. In years with good rainfall the area is flooded between August and January after which the size of wetlands shrinks gradually. The grasses Echinochloa stagnina and Vossia cuspidata are dominant in seasonally flooded areas. Included in the site, to the east of Lac Oualado (=Walado or Gualado) Débo, is an area of Acacia woodland. This area was first used as a breeding site by a colony of herons and cormorants in 1985, the breeding season coinciding with the time of the flood.

Populations of IBA trigger species

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	103,100

Habitats

Land use

Other biodiversity None known to BirdLife International.

Management considerations This site was designated Wetland of International Importance under the Ramsar Convention in 1987. The site is state-owned but villages within its boundaries have traditional rights of exploitation over some areas. The impact of proposed dams and water diversion projects in the region is a significant potential threat. The Acacia woodland within the site is threatened by clearance for rice cultivation, degradation through overgrazing by goats and the cutting of wood to provide fuel. The breeding colonies of herons and cormorants that use this woodland are dependent on the annual flood reaching the area.

Related state of the world's birds case studies

• Large dams threaten one of Africa's most important wetland ecosystems

References Altenburg et al. (1986), Jones (1993).

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Lac Débo - Lac Oualado Débo. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 19/06/2013

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