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SO022
Laag Dheere
Location Somalia, Jubbada Hoose
Central coordinates 41o 20.00' East  0o 32.00' North
IBA criteria A3
Area 500,000 ha
Altitude 200 m
Year of IBA assessment 2001





Ornithological information See Box and Table 3 for key species. Of the Somali–Masai biome species, Batis perkeo, Pseudonigrita cabanisi and Lamprotornis shelleyi are recorded from few other IBAs in Somalia. Other species which are only known in Somalia from this area include Sporopipes frontalis and Lonchura griseicapilla.

Site description This site, also spelt Lach Dere, is centred on a large temporary watercourse, or laag, situated in southern Somalia, north-west of Kismaayo, and abuts the frontier with Kenya. Laag Dheere drains the south-eastern sloping plateau of part of north-eastern Kenya and, at the point where it flows into Somalia, it is flanked by permanent swamps and widens into a flood-plain over 40 km across with an area of c.228,000 ha. This includes 11,000 ha of permanent swamp with large Typha and reedbeds with water-lilies in areas of deeper water. In times of flood this seasonal wetland drains, through a series of channels and pans, into the Jubba river, at a point c.40 km before it reaches the coast. In addition, c.400,000 ha of the proposed protected area consists of Acacia–Commiphora bushland and thicket.

Populations of IBA trigger species

Species Season Period Population estimate Quality of estimate IBA Criteria IUCN Category
Vulturine Guineafowl Acryllium vulturinum resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Yellow-necked Spurfowl Francolinus leucoscepus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Buff-crested Bustard Eupodotis gindiana resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-faced Sandgrouse Pterocles decoratus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Red-bellied Parrot Poicephalus rufiventris resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-bellied Go-away-bird Corythaixoides leucogaster resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-headed Mousebird Colius leucocephalus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-throated Barbet Tricholaema melanocephala resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
D'Arnaud's Barbet Trachyphonus darnaudii resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Pygmy Batis Batis perkeo resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Three-streaked Tchagra Tchagra jamesi resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Scaly Chatterer Turdoides aylmeri resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Shelley's Starling Lamprotornis shelleyi resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
White-crowned Starling Spreo albicapillus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
African Grey Flycatcher Bradornis microrhynchus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Kenya Violet-backed Sunbird Anthreptes orientalis resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Black-capped Social-weaver Pseudonigrita cabanisi resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Somali Sparrow Passer castanopterus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Steel-blue Whydah Vidua hypocherina resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Straw-tailed Whydah Vidua fischeri resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 
Golden Pipit Tmetothylacus tenellus resident  1997  present [units unknown]  -  A3  Least Concern 

Land use

Land-use Extent (% of site)
unknown -

Other biodiversity Mammals which occur, or that used to do so, include Loxodonta africana (EN), Giraffa cameleopardalis (LR/cd), Oryx beisa (LR/cd), Gazella granti (LR/cd), Damaliscus lunatus (LR/cd), Litiocranus walleri (LR/cd), Ourebia ourebi (LR/cd), Beatragus hunteri (CR) and Gazella granti (LR/cd).

Management considerations The area has been proposed as a National Park (part) and Wildlife Reserve. The human population density in this area is low in part because of the presence of tsetse flies.

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Recommended citation  BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Laag Dheere. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 21/05/2013

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