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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	-	110-512 individuals	A4i
Yellow-billed Duck Anas undulata	LC	non-breeding	-	503-1,706 individuals	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	breeding	-	6,000 breeding pairs	A4i
Greater Flamingo Phoenicopterus roseus	LC	non-breeding	-	6,317-30,000 individuals	A4i
Lesser Flamingo Phoeniconaias minor	NT	non-breeding	-	common	A1
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	LC	resident	-	200-500 breeding pairs	A4i
African Spoonbill Platalea alba	LC	non-breeding	-	426-1,577 individuals	A4i
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	LC	resident	-	500-1,500 breeding pairs	A4i
Great White Pelican Pelecanus onocrotalus	LC	non-breeding	-	1,550-3,978 individuals	A4i
Pied Avocet Recurvirostra avosetta	LC	non-breeding	-	1,265-3,460 individuals	A4i
Grey-headed Gull Larus cirrocephalus	LC	non-breeding	-	733-1,332 individuals	A4i
Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia	LC	breeding	-	180-300 breeding pairs	A4i
Caspian Tern Hydroprogne caspia	LC	non-breeding	-	158-572 individuals	A4i
Southern Banded Snake-eagle Circaetus fasciolatus	NT	resident	1998	present	A1, A3
Mangrove Kingfisher Halcyon senegaloides	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Brown-headed Parrot Poicephalus cryptoxanthus	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Woodwards' Batis Batis fratrum	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Gorgeous Bushshrike Telophorus viridis	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Rudd's Apalis Apalis ruddi	LC	resident	1998	present	A2, A3
Black-bellied Starling Notopholia corusca	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Spotted Ground-thrush Geokichla guttata	VU	non-breeding	-	present	A1
Mouse-coloured Sunbird Cyanomitra verreauxii	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Neergaard's Sunbird Cinnyris neergaardi	NT	resident	1998	present	A1, A2, A3
Pink-throated Twinspot Hypargos margaritatus	LC	resident	1998	present	A2, A3
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	non-breeding	-	20,000-49,999 individuals	A4iii
A4iii Species group - waterbirds	n/a	breeding	-	20,000-49,999 individuals	A4iii

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%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable
Forest	moderate (70-90%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Biological resource use	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	very high
Energy production and mining	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	very rapid to severe deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Pollution	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%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Climate change and severe weather	likely in short term (within 4 years)	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
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	The conservation measures needed for the site are being comprehensively and effectively implemented	high

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
-	Sodwana Bay	National Park	<1
1916	St. Lucia Game Park	Nature Reserve	30
1950	Sodwana Bay National Park	Nature Reserve	-
1956	Cape Vidal	State Forest	5
1986	St Lucia System	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	93
1999	iSimangaliso Wetland Park	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed)	100

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Forest	Mangrove, Lowland forest - undifferentiated, Woodland - mixed, Woodland - riparian	-
Grassland	Grassland - edaphic, wet	-
Marine Coastal/Supratidal		-
Marine Intertidal		-
Marine Neritic		-
Wetlands (inland)	Freshwater lakes and pools, Riverine floodplains, Ephemeral pools and wetlands, Rivers & streams	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
water management	70
nature conservation and research	10
agriculture	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Lake St Lucia and Mkuze Swamps (South Africa). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/lake-st-lucia-and-mkuze-swamps-iba-south-africa on 23/11/2024.