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• Text account
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• Reference and further resources

The site was identified as important in 1998 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting ('triggering') IBA criteria.

Populations meeting IBA criteria ('trigger species') at the site:

Species	Red List1	Season	Year(s)	Size	IBA criteria
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus	VU	non-breeding	-	present	A1
Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus	NT	resident	1998	20 breeding pairs	A1, A3
Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus	NT	non-breeding	-	50-300 individuals	A1, A4i
Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni	NT	winter	-	100-1,000 individuals	A1, A4i
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	winter	-	1,000-2,000 individuals	A1, A4ii
Botha's Lark Spizocorys fringillaris	EN	resident	1998	present	A1, A3
Buff-streaked Chat Campicoloides bifasciatus	LC	resident	1998	present	A1, A3
Swee Waxbill Coccopygia melanotis	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Forest Canary Crithagra scotops	LC	resident	1998	present	A2, A3

1. The current IUCN Red List category. The category at the time of the IBA criteria assessment (1998) may differ.

Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 1998. The most recent assessment (2014) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Grassland	poor (40-69%)	moderate (70-90%)	very unfavourable
Wetlands (inland)	good (> 90%)	moderate (70-90%)	near favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Transportation and service corridors	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Natural system modifications	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%)	No management planning has taken place	Very little or no conservation action taking place	negligible

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1955	Ahlers Private Nature Reserve	Nature Reserve	<1
1968	Rietvlei Private Nature Reserve	Nature Reserve	<1

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland	Grassland - highveld	-
Wetlands (inland)	Rivers & streams	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	100
water management	10
agriculture	-
other	-
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Amersfoort - Bethal - Carolina District (South Africa). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/amersfoort--bethal--carolina-district-iba-south-africa on 22/11/2024.