Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
This large area includes the magisterial districts of the former Bophuthatswana, Brits, Rustenburg, Swartruggens, Ventersdorp, Koster and Oberholzer. The Magaliesberg range extends in an arc from just south of Rustenburg in the west to Hartbeespoort Dam near Pretoria in the east. Peaks in the west include Tshufi (1,592 m) and Rustenburgkloof (1,688 m), in the centre Nooitgedacht (1,851 m) and Doornhoek (1,786 m), and in the east Versigtig (1,563 m), Myoko (1,523 m) and Sun Glory (1,601 m) are found in the vicinity of Hartbeespoort Dam.
To the south, the Witwatersberg range runs parallel to the Magaliesberg, extending from the town of Magaliesberg in the west to Hartbeespoort Dam in the east. The Ben-Tor Gloster (1,674 m), Hartebeeshoek (1,585 m) and Skeerpoort (1,544 m) peaks dominate the Witwatersberg. Several large rivers have their headwaters in these mountains, including the Crocodile, Sterkstroom, Magalies and Skeerpoort rivers. Three major impoundments lie along the Magaliesberg; the massive Hartbeespoort Dam in the east, Buffelspoort Dam in the centre and Olifantsnek Dam about 7 km south of Rustenburg.
The mountain peaks and slopes are clothed in open broadleaved woodland of
Faurea,
Acacia,
Bequaertiodendron,
Burkea,
Peltophorum,
Kirkia,
Combretum,
Albizia and
Diplorrhynchus, and proteoid shrubland occurs on cool slopes. The surrounding land, especially that to the north of the mountain range, is used primarily for cattle-ranching, with some intensive crop and fruit-farming on the northern slopes of the Magaliesberg range.
See Box for key species.
Gyps coprotheres breeds at two main colonies—the larger Skeerpoort (25°45’S 27°45’E) and the sister colony at Robert’s Farm (25°50’S 27°17’E)—as well as a satellite colony at Nooitgedacht. There appears to be a decline in the numbers of vultures breeding at Robert’s Farm, and it seems that birds may have transferred to Nooitgedacht, following the introduction of a vulture restaurant there, below an abandoned colony. Many other raptor species have been recorded at Skeerpoort, including
Gyps africanus and
Torgos tracheliotus. Patches of grassland are known to hold small numbers of
Grus paradisea.
Non-bird biodiversity: Hyaena brunnea (LR/nt) is a major large predator in the area.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Most of the area falls within the Magaliesberg Protected Natural Environment. This large area has legal conservation status under the Environment Protection Act. Within the IBA, several publicly owned protected areas occur. The Diepsloot Nature Reserve, controlled by the Johannesburg Municipality, lies 10 km south of Hartbeespoort Dam. Other protected areas within the IBA include Rustenburg Nature Reserve, 2 km south-west of the town, Mountain Sanctuary Park and Hartbeespoort Dam Nature Reserve as well as several private reserves and conservancies.
There is widespread, indiscriminate use of poison by small-stock farmers in the area to combat mammalian predators such as jackals, caracals and domestic dogs. Poisonings pose a major threat to the vulture colonies as hundreds of birds, which scavenge on carcasses set for vermin, can be unintentionally killed in a single poisoning incident. Most natural populations of large ungulates, and their associated predators, have disappeared from the Magaliesberg. It is hypothesized that depleted food supply, and the loss of vital nutrients in the diet, have resulted in increased vulture mortalities as a result of metabolic bone disease, osteodystrophy, and other physiological abnormalities.
The Vulture Monitoring Project, through the Vulture Study Group, counts nestlings annually as a measure of breeding success, which can fluctuate alarmingly in this population. The Magaliesberg vultures forage quite widely, some travelling to the Pilanesberg (IBA ZA017) nearly 100 km away. Several vulture restaurants have been established near the colonies to provide a regular food supply to breeding birds. The restaurant on Nooitgedacht Farm is supported by the land-owners. A second lies 1 km south of the colony at Leopard Lodge, a third is in operation 27 km north of Skeerpoort at Rhino Park, near Zwartkop, and a fourth at the De Wildt Captive Breeding Centre. The Robert’s Farm colony is still in need of a regular food supply.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Magaliesberg (South Africa). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/magaliesberg-iba-south-africa on 25/12/2024.
