Data Zone
Country/territory: South Africa
IBA Criteria met: (2015)
For more information about IBA criteria please click here
Area: 1,050,000 ha
| Most recent IBA monitoring assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | Threat score (pressure) | Condition score (state) | Action score (response) |
| 2013 | very high | very unfavourable | low |
| For more information about IBA monitoring please click here | |||
Site summary
This vast area (c. 1 050 000 ha) is centred on the towns of Volksrust and Wakkerstroom. The previously proposed, but not yet declared, Biosphere Reserve comprises some 800 private farms, several municipalities, conservancies, Biodiversity Stewardship Protected Environments and a considerable amount of State-owned land. A series of farms and conservancies in the Harrismith, Vrede and Memel districts of the Free State is included. The area comprises gentle rolling hills on the South African plateau (1 700 - 1 800 m a.s.l.) that are broken regularly by parts of the Mpumalanga Drakensberg escarpment, small ranges such as the Gemsbokberg (2 095 m a.s.l.), Versamelberg (2 139 m a.s.l.) and Balelesberg (2 055 m a.s.l.), as well as the higher peaks around Wakkerstroom, such as Ntshele (2 291 m a.s.l.), Ossewakop (2 170 m a.s.l.), Kanonkop (2 112 m a.s.l.) and KwaMandlangampisi (2 266 m a.s.l.).
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2023) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Grasslands. Downloaded from
http://www.birdlife.org on 31/03/2023.
