Lake Natron - Navo

• Lake Natron covers an area of 85,000ha, the lake basin is approximately 65 km long although on average only 20% of this is ever covered by water. The water is highly saline (ph 10) and most of the Lake an extremely inhospitable environment. Whilst Lake Natron is not aquatically diverse, is has some very ecologically dependant species. 
• For example, the fish species Oreochromis alcalicus appears to be endemic to (only occurs within) Lake Natron and Kenya’s Lake Magadi.O.alcalicus, like the majority of the lakes resident and migratory biological diversity, is concentrated on the margins of the lake where spring water or seasonal river inflow creates a unique but fragile environment. 
• It is upon this fragile ecotone along the edges of the lake that the human population as well as the biological diversity depends. Any development projects would require well-designed management and mitigation techniques, especially with the use and management of the limited fresh water resources.
• What do we know about Lake Natron? Evidence suggests that approximately 10,000 years ago, the lake was 60 metres higher than it is now and contiguous with Lake Magadi in Kenya, at this time the water was less saline. There are 16 wetland sites that are important for migratory and resident birdlife that I group into three general areas, most easily defined by the water sources that sustain them. The southern two areas, ‘east south’ and ‘west south’, show variation in their water compositions, and have many different aquatic plant and animal species.
• There is then a gap of approximately 60 km between the southern lagoon and Shompole, which is at the northern end of the lake. The Shompole area is a complex of wetland systems, which vary considerably during the year. The Ewaso Ngiro river which feeds these northern wetlands is the largest freshwater inflow into the lake. The northern and southern areas are known to join in extreme rainfall events, otherwise they are isolated from one another.
• These complex wetlands on the edge of the lake form extensive areas of regularly burnt edaphic grassland, such as that characterised by Sporobolus spicatus are found in the basin (you cross these driving from Ngare Sero to Pinyinyi) and on areas at the base of Gelai.