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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 IBA criteria.

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

Species	Red List	Season (year/s of estimate)	Size	IBA criteria
Corncrake Crex crex	LC	winter (-)	present	A1
Black Stork Ciconia nigra	LC	non-breeding (-)	40–60 individuals	A4i
Black Stork Ciconia nigra	LC	breeding (-)	10–20 breeding pairs	A4i
Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres	VU	non-breeding (-)	present	A1
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	winter (-)	present	A1
Brown-headed Parrot Poicephalus cryptoxanthus	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Gorgeous Bushshrike Telophorus viridis	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Black-bellied Starling Notopholia corusca	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Pink-throated Twinspot Hypargos margaritatus	LC	resident (1998)	present	A3
Lemon-breasted Canary Crithagra citrinipectus	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 (2014) is shown below.

State (condition of the key species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Wetlands (inland)	moderate (70–90%)	poor (40–69%)	very unfavourable
Forest	good (>90%)	good (>90%)	favourable

Pressure (threats to the key species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Biological resource use	happen­ing now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Natural system modifications	happen­ing now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Climate change and severe weather	happen­ing now	most of popul­ation/area (50–90%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Transportation and service corridors	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	moderate deteri­oration (10–30% in 3 gener­ations)	high
Residential and commercial development	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Energy production and mining	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Pollution	happen­ing now	some of popul­ation/area (10–49%)	slow deteri­oration (1–10% over 3 gener­ations)	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happen­ing now	few individ­uals/small area (<10%)	no deteri­oration (<1% over 3 gener­ations)	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the key species and/or their habitats)
Designation	Planning	Action	Result
Most of site (50–90%) covered (including the most critical parts for important bird species)	A compre­hensive and appropriate manage­ment plan exists that aims to maintain or improve the popul­ations of qualify­ing bird species	The conservation measures needed for the site are being comprehensively and effectively implemented	high

Year	Protected Area	Designation (management category)	% coverage of IBA
2001	Kruger to Canyons	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve (UA)	100
2009	Vhembe Biosphere Reserve	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve (UA)	20

Habitat	% of IBA	Habitat detail
Forest	-	Lowland forest - riparian; Woodland - mixed
Wetlands (inland)	-	Rivers & streams

Land use	% of IBA
nature conservation and research	100
water management	10
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: Kruger National Park and adjacent areas (South Africa). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kruger-national-park-and-adjacent-areas-iba-south-africa on 20/01/2025.