About the Tana River Delta

rich diversity of wildlife - rare/endangered species - pastures for local communities

The Tana River Delta is amongst the top three of Kenya's largest and most important freshwater wetland systems with a significant local community of cattle herders and others dependent on it and who have done so for centuries.

It covers an area of 130,000ha (320,000 acres) and is situated in the Coast Province of Kenya.  It comprises of a diverse range of habitats from coastal forests, grasslands and semi-arid Acacia thorn bush to mangroves, salt marsh, sand dunes and permanent and seasonal fresh water pools.

Rich diversity of wildlife

Little Egret on Tana River

As a wildlife refuge the Delta is a particularly important site for thousands of breeding birds as well as a feeding site for many thousands more.  It is internationally important for the survival of 22 species of bird, including the Near-Threatened Malindi Pipit (Anthus melindae) and the Endangered Basra Reed-warbler (Acrocephalus griseldis), “…making the delta one of the key sites in the country for waterbird conservation” (BirdLife International).  The Tana delta also supports one of the very few breeding sites for colonial waterbirds in Kenya that attracts herons and storks from over much of the East African region.

In collaboration with the National Museums of Kenya, A Rocha Kenya has been monitoring waterfowl numbers on the delta to provide data for the National Waterfowl Counts.  Additional data were collected in February 2008 by Olivier Hamerlynck to assess whether the delta could qualify as a RAMSAR Wetland of International Importance.  To view the data please click on the links below.  The associated map also indicates where the RAMSAR waterbird survey was carried out.

In addition, Nature Kenya has produced species lists of the birds observed along the Tana River in March 2008 by Fleur Ng'weno.  These can be viewed from the links below:

The Delta is extremely rich in fish being a major breeding site for a number of species, is home to an endemic reptile and has a wide diversity of mammals living within it including elephant, lion, at least 800 hippo and even Wild Dog have been seen there in late 2007.

For a copy of Nature Kenya's brief on the biodiversity value of the Tana River Delta, including its endangered species, please click here (application/pdf, 79.0 kB, info).

Rare and endangered species

As part of the brief submitted to NEMA on the Tana River Delta Biodiversity, Nature Kenya also recorded the Rare and Endangered species of birds, plants, fish, amphibians and reptiles.  Please click on the link below to download the extract from this report.

Important pastures for local communities

The Tana River Delta has been used as a critical pasture for many thousands of head of cattle by local Orma and Pokomo people for centuries. During the dry season these people rely entirely on the delta for good pasture for their cattle which would otherwise starve to death in the surrounding coastal bush where there is no water. The delta provides good grass throughout the dry season and cattle numbers can reach in excess of 30,000 – with significant numbers of people surviving off them. Furthermore there are large area of rice paddies and other agricultural activities already going on along the edges of the delta.

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