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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
South African Shelduck Tadorna cana	LC	non-breeding	-	543-1,000 individuals	A4i
Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma	LC	non-breeding	-	54-500 individuals	A4i
Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata	LC	non-breeding	-	2,139-5,281 individuals	A4i
Great Crested Grebe Podiceps cristatus	LC	non-breeding	-	73-128 individuals	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	non-breeding	-	510-5,000 individuals	A4i
Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata	LC	non-breeding	-	7,425-27,000 individuals	A4i
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	LC	winter	-	2,860 individuals	A4i
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	winter	-	100-1,000 individuals	A1, A4ii
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	non-breeding	-	20,000-49,999 individuals	A4iii

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 (2013) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' populations)
Species	Reference	Actual	Units	% remaining	Result
Maccoa Duck Oxyura maccoa	230	560	individuals	100	favourable
Egyptian Goose Alopochen aegyptiaca	2,000	4,000	individuals	100	favourable
South African Shelduck Tadorna cana	1,000	3,000	individuals	100	favourable
Spur-winged Goose Plectropterus gambensis	3,000	5,000	individuals	100	favourable
Southern Pochard Netta erythrophthalma	500	5,000	individuals	100	favourable
Cape Shoveler Spatula smithii	250	800	individuals	100	favourable
Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata	5,281	6,000	individuals	100	favourable
Red-billed Teal Anas erythrorhyncha	5,000	6,000	individuals	100	favourable
Black-necked Grebe Podiceps nigricollis	207	5,000	individuals	100	favourable
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	7,000	7,000	individuals	100	favourable
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor	15,000	30,000	individuals	100	favourable
Red-knobbed Coot Fulica cristata	27,000	20,000	individuals	75	near favourable
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	91	150	individuals	100	favourable
Pink-backed Pelican Pelecanus rufescens	50	50	individuals	100	favourable
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	200	200	individuals	100	favourable
Chestnut-banded Plover Charadrius pallidus	500	500	individuals	100	favourable
Black-winged Pratincole Glareola nordmanni	1,500	1,500	individuals	100	favourable
Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia	70	400	individuals	100	favourable
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	2,860	3,000	individuals	100	favourable
African Grass-owl Tyto capensis	20	20	breeding pairs	100	favourable
Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius	5	5	individuals	100	favourable
White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus	250	250	individuals	100	favourable
African Marsh-harrier Circus ranivorus	10	10	individuals	100	favourable
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	1,000	2,500	individuals	100	favourable

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Grassland	moderate (70-90%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable
Wetlands (inland)	good (> 90%)	good (> 90%)	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
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Pollution	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Transportation and service corridors	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Biological resource use	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Energy production and mining	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low
Natural system modifications	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	no or imperceptible deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Most of site (50-90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	medium

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1949	Barberspan Nature Reserve	Nature Reserve	50
1975	Barberspan Nature Reserve (Ramsar)	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	51

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland	Grassland - highveld	-
Wetlands (inland)	Rivers & streams, Freshwater lakes and pools	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
agriculture	80
water management	50
nature conservation and research	1
forestry	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Barberspan and Leeupan (South Africa). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/barberspan-and-leeupan-iba-south-africa on 23/11/2024.