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The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 1998 because it was regularly supporting significant populations of the species listed below, meeting IBA criteria.

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

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	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

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 key 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 key species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happen­ing now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Transportation and service corridors	happen­ing now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Natural system modifications	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Pollution	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Residential and commercial development	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the key species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%)	No manage­ment planning has taken place	Very little or no conservation action taking place	very low

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

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

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) 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 24/01/2025.