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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 ('triggering') IBA criteria.

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

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Scarce Swift Schoutedenapus myoptilus	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Striped Flufftail Sarothrura affinis	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Southern Banded Snake-eagle Circaetus fasciolatus	NT	resident (1998)	present	A1, A3
Taita Falcon Falco fasciinucha	VU	resident (-)	present	A1
Grey Cuckooshrike Ceblepyris caesius	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
East Coast Batis Batis soror	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Olive Bushshrike Chlorophoneus olivaceus	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Gorgeous Bushshrike Telophorus viridis	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
White-tailed Crested-flycatcher Elminia albonotata	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Briar Warbler Oreophilais robertsi	LC	resident (1998)	present	A2, A3
Chirinda Apalis Apalis chirindensis	VU	resident (1998)	present	A2, A3
Barratt's Warbler Bradypterus barratti	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Blue Swallow Hirundo atrocaerulea	EN	breeding (1998)	present	A1, A3
Stripe-cheeked Bulbul Arizelocichla milanjensis	NT	resident (1998)	present	A3
Yellow-throated Woodland-warbler Phylloscopus ruficapilla	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Orange Ground-thrush Geokichla gurneyi	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
White-starred Robin Pogonocichla stellata	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Gurney's Sugarbird Promerops gurneyi	NT	resident (1998)	present	A3
Bronze Sunbird Nectarinia kilimensis	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Red-faced Crimsonwing Cryptospiza reichenovii	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Yellow-bellied Waxbill Coccopygia quartinia	LC	resident (1998)	present	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 (2024) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Forest	good (>90%)	moderate (70–90%)	moderate

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Climate change and severe weather	happe­ning now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow decline (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	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 (management category)	% coverage of IBA
1950	Chimanimani	National Park (II)	81

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Forest	94
Shrubland	3
Grassland	-	Grassland - montane
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	-	Inselbergs, kopjes & inland cliffs
Wetlands (inland)	-	Rivers & streams

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

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Chimanimani Mountains (Zimbabwe) (Zimbabwe). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/chimanimani-mountains-(zimbabwe)-iba-zimbabwe on 23/12/2024.