Flooding of Lake Nakuru National Park and Its Effects on the Resident Wildlife

Abstract

Lake Nakuru is one of Kenya’s Rift Valley Lakes and lies within the Lake Nakuru National Park. As a key habitat for flamingos and other water birds, the lake is a major tourist attraction. Lake Nakuru National Park covers an area of approximately 188 km 2 and is fully enclosed with a perimeter fence. The park is home to about 56 different species of mammals, 550 plant species, and 450 species of terrestrial birds as well as flamingos and other water birds. In the last decade, the lake has experienced continuous flooding, increasing the lake area from 35 km 2 in 2009 to 54 km 2 in 2018. This impacted negatively on the available space for wildlife. The main objective of this study was to investigate the effects of this flooding on the wildlife and their habitats in Lake Nakuru National Park. The methodology used Land use Land cover (LULC) interpretation of Landsat Satellite imagery from two epochs, 2009 and 2018, and integration of the results with relevant wildlife data provided by Kenya Wildlife Service. The results, which include LULC change maps and wildlife distribution maps, have shown that the flooding impacted negatively on the available space for wildlife. In addition, the floods also compromised key park infrastructures such as roads and the main gate making it very difficult to maintain the normal park operations, and hence adversely affecting the local and national economies. The information provided by this study is useful for planning mitigation measures in respect of the current and potential future flooding.