• Summary
• Text account
• Data table and detailed info
• Map
• Reference and further resources

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
Rock Pratincole Glareola nuchalis	LC	non-breeding	-	320 individuals	A4i
African Skimmer Rynchops flavirostris	LC	non-breeding	-	136 individuals	A4i
Southern Carmine Bee-eater Merops nubicoides	LC	breeding	1998	10,500 adults	A4ii
Racquet-tailed Roller Coracias spatulatus	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Nyasa Lovebird Agapornis lilianae	NT	resident	1998	present	A3
Meves's Long-tailed Starling Lamprotornis mevesii	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Arnot's Chat Myrmecocichla arnotti	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Shelley's Sunbird Cinnyris shelleyi	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
White-breasted Sunbird Cinnyris talatala	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Broad-tailed Paradise-whydah Vidua obtusa	LC	resident	1998	present	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.

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Natural system modifications	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	slow but significant deterioration	high
Transportation and service corridors	likely in short term (within 4 years)	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	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	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
1964	Chewore	Safari Area	5
1975	Hurungwe	Safari Area	42
1975	Mana Pools	National Park	32
1975	Sapi	Safari Area	17
1984	Mana Pools National Park, Sapi and Chewore Safari Areas	World Heritage Site (natural or mixed)	99
2002	Chapoto	Wildlife Management Area	<1
2002	Chundu	Wildlife Management Area	<1
2002	Chisunga	Wildlife Management Area	<1
2010	Middle Zambezi	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve	-
2013	Mana Pools National Park	Ramsar Site, Wetland of International Importance	22

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Terrestrial		47
Shrubland		38
Forest		11
Grassland		2
Wetlands (inland)	Ephemeral pools and wetlands, Sand dunes and beaches - riverine	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

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

---

Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Middle Zambezi Valley (Zimbabwe). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/middle-zambezi-valley-iba-zimbabwe on 22/11/2024.