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

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

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Pollution	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
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	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
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Climate change and severe weather	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Energy production and mining	likely in short term (within 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	medium
Natural system modifications	likely in short term (within 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	medium
Biological resource use	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
2000	Cape West Coast Biosphere Reserve	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve	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 click here.

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland		96
Artificial/Aquatic & Marine	Saltpans	minor (<10)
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		minor (<10)
Marine Intertidal		minor (<10)
Marine Neritic		-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

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 23/11/2024.