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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
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus	VU	resident	-	present	A1
Blue Bustard Eupodotis caerulescens	NT	resident	-	present	A1
Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus	NT	resident	-	20-40 breeding pairs	A1, A3, A4i
Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus	NT	non-breeding	-	100-200 individuals	A1, A4i
Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres	VU	non-breeding	-	present	A1
Black Harrier Circus maurus	EN	resident	-	present	A1
Ground Woodpecker Geocolaptes olivaceus	NT	resident	-	present	A1
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	winter	-	500-1,000 individuals	A1, A4ii
Drakensberg Rockjumper Chaetops aurantius	NT	resident	1998	present	A1, A2, A3
Bush Blackcap Sylvia nigricapillus	VU	resident	1998	present	A1, A3
Buff-streaked Chat Campicoloides bifasciatus	LC	resident	1998	present	A1, A3
Gurney's Sugarbird Promerops gurneyi	NT	resident	1998	present	A3
Mountain Pipit Anthus hoeschi	NT	resident	1998	present	A1, A2, A3
Yellow-breasted Pipit Hemimacronyx chloris	VU	resident	1998	present	A1, A3
Drakensberg Siskin Crithagra symonsi	LC	resident	1998	present	A1, A2, A3

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
Wetlands (inland)	good (> 90%)	moderate (70-90%)	near favourable
Grassland	good (> 90%)	good (> 90%)	favourable
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)	good (> 90%)	good (> 90%)	favourable
Forest	good (> 90%)	good (> 90%)	favourable
Shrubland	good (> 90%)	good (> 90%)	favourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Transportation and service corridors	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	likely in long term (beyond 4 years)	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Whole area of site (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation	A comprehensive and appropriate management plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the populations of qualifying bird species	Substantive conservation measures are being implemented but these are not comprehensive and are limited by resources and capacity	high

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1963	Golden Gate Highlands National Park	National Park	100

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Forest		-
Grassland	Grassland - highveld, Grassland - montane	-
Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)		-
Shrubland	Shrubland - bushy Karroo	-
Wetlands (inland)	Rivers & streams	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	100
agriculture	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Golden Gate Highlands National Park (South Africa). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/golden-gate-highlands-national-park-iba-south-africa on 22/11/2024.