World Heritage Identification Number: 801
World Heritage since: 1997
Category: Natural Heritage
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: Yes
Country: 🇰🇪 Kenya
Continent: Africa
UNESCO World Region: Africa
Map
Exploring the Rich Biodiversity and Paleontological Significance of Lake Turkana National Parks
The Lake Turkana National Parks, a collection of three protected areas situated around the shores of Lake Turkana in Kenya, offer a captivating blend of natural beauty, biodiversity, and historical significance that has earned them a place on the prestigious UNESCO World Heritage List since 1997. This expansive region encompasses Sibiloi National Park and two islands within the lake itself – Central Island and South Island.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
The most saline of Africa's large lakes, Turkana is an outstanding laboratory for the study of plant and animal communities. The three National Parks serve as a stopover for migrant waterfowl and are major breeding grounds for the Nile crocodile, hippopotamus and a variety of venomous snakes. The Koobi Fora deposits, rich in mammalian, molluscan and other fossil remains, have contributed more to the understanding of paleo-environments than any other site on the continent.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
The Committee inscribed this property on the basis of natural criteria (viii) and (x) for the discoveries of mammal fossil remains in the site which led to the scientific reconstruction of the palaeo-environment of the entire Turkana Lake basin of the Quarternary Period. The Lake Turkana ecosystem with its diverse bird life and desert environment offers an exceptional laboratory for studies of plant and animal communities.
Encyclopedia Record: Lake Turkana National Parks
Lake Turkana National Parks is a group of three national parks located around Lake Turkana in Kenya. It was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1997 and expanded in 2001. Reasons for the park's importance include its use as a stopping point for migratory birds, as a breeding ground for the Nile crocodile, hippopotamus, and snakes. It also contains fossils in the Koobi Fora deposits which are unique in the world. Lake Turkana National Parks consist of Sibiloi National Park and two islands on Lake Turkana.Additional Site Details
Area: 161,485 hectares
(x) — Contains most important habitats for biodiversity
Coordinates: 3.051305556 , 36.50366667
Image
© User:Doron, CC BY-SA 3.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
