Lake Elmenteita. 05/09/05; Rift Valley Province; 10,880 ha; 00°46'S 036°23'E. A shallow saline, alkaline lake which provides a favorable environment for diatoms and the blue-green alga Spirulina platensis, which lie at the basis of the food chain of several bird species. An average of over 610,000 birds of more than 450 species (of which 80 are waterfowl) have been counted in the area, and the lake hosts an average of 28.5% of the world population of Lesser Flamingo (Phoenicopterus minor). During the dry season, black lava islands provide the only suitable nesting and breeding grounds for Great White Pelicans (Pelecanus onocrotalus) in the Rift Valley region. Local inhabitants depend on the hot springs around Chamka for domestic freshwater supply, subsistence irrigation, and water for livestock, and the nomadic Maasai use the area as a grazing and salt-licking site for their livestock. Salt, sand and diatomite are mined from the site, but most of the land around the site is reserved for biodiversity conservation. Tourism and recreational facilities are an important foreign exchange earner and employer, and the local community has formed various conservation committees. Ramsar site no. 1498. Most recent RIS information: 2005.