Data Zone
Country/territory: South Africa
Subnational region(s): KwaZulu-Natal
IBA Justification: A1, A4i (2015)
Area: 29,410 hectares (294.10 km2)
BirdLife Partner(s): BirdLife South Africa
| Conservation status of the Important Bird Area (IBA) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment (most recent) | State (condition) | Pressure (threat) | Response (action) |
| 2013 | very unfavourable | very high | low |
Site summary
This IBA consists of a disconnected series of grassland patches on farms located in the KZN midlands. The quoted area of 5 000 ha refers to the sum of these patches. The region is bounded roughly as follows: in the west by the Umtamvuna River; in the south and east by the 900 m a.s.l. contour line - below this the climate is too warm and dry for mistbelt grassland; and in the north by high ground above about 1 300 m a.s.l. where the climate becomes too cold for mistbelt grassland. The terrain consists of rolling hills, dissected by rivers and streams. Soils are often deep, allowing small streams to run underground, and sinkholes are a typical feature. Altitude (of the IBAs - intervening ground may have lower-lying valleys) ranges from 920 to 1 340 m a.s.l. The principal vegetation is, or was before most of it was transformed, Midlands Mistbelt Grassland. The farms listed support viable units of mistbelt grassland and pairs of Blue Swallow Hirundo atrocaerulea or Wattled Crane Bugeranus carunculatus, but all are important for the conservation of grassland birds in the district. The climate is temperate. Mist is frequent in summer, as is frost in winter.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2025) Important Bird Area factsheet: KwaZulu-Natal Mistbelt Grasslands (South Africa). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/kwazulu-natal-mistbelt-grasslands-iba-south-africa on 16/01/2025.