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• Text account
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• Reference and further resources

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 ('triggering') IBA criteria.

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

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Cape Shoveler Spatula smithii	LC	non-breeding (-)	113–603 birds	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	non-breeding (-)	1,564–3,932 birds	A4i
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	LC	resident (-)	20–50 pairs	A4i
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	LC	non-breeding (-)	152–294 birds	A4i
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	non-breeding (-)	236–2,273 birds	A4i
Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius	LC	resident (-)	200–400 pairs	A4i
Kittlitz's Plover Charadrius pecuarius	LC	non-breeding (-)	496–1,087 birds	A4i
Curlew Sandpiper Calidris ferruginea	VU	winter (-)	8,281–16,881 birds	A4i
Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii	LC	breeding (-)	500–670 pairs	A4i
Hartlaub's Gull Larus hartlaubii	LC	non-breeding (-)	1,341–2,030 birds	A4i
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus	LC	breeding (-)	250–500 pairs	A4i
Kelp Gull Larus dominicanus	LC	non-breeding (-)	657–1,640 birds	A4i
Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia	LC	non-breeding (-)	106–199 birds	A4i
White-winged Tern Chlidonias leucopterus	LC	winter (-)	394–2,623 birds	A4i
Sandwich Tern Thalasseus sandvicensis	LC	winter (-)	695–1,555 birds	A4i
Greater Crested Tern Thalasseus bergii	LC	non-breeding (-)	160–646 birds	A4i

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' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	moderate (70–90%)	poor (40–69%)	very poor

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Pollution	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Transportation and service corridors	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Natural system modifications	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate decline (10–30% over 3 gener­ations)	high
Residential and commercial development	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Biological resource use	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Energy production and mining	happe­ning now	few indivi­duals/small area (<10%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	low

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

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
2000	Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve (UA)	27

The Local Conservation Group(s) listed below are working to conserve this IBA.

Name	Year formed
Botanical society	0
Heritage society	0
Lower berg river conservation association	0
West coast bird club	0

For more information on BirdLife's work with Local Conservation Groups, please visit Spotlight on local empowerment.

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Grassland	96
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine	minor (<10)	Saltpans
Marine Coastal/Supratidal	minor (<10)
Marine Intertidal	minor (<10)
Marine Neritic	-

Land use	% of IBA
water management	30
nature conservation and research	-
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Berg River Estuary (South Africa). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/berg-river-estuary-iba-south-africa on 23/12/2024.