• Summary
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• 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
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus	VU	resident	-	200-400 breeding pairs	A1, A4i
Blue Crane Anthropoides paradiseus	VU	non-breeding	-	1,000-2,500 individuals	A1, A4i
Ludwig's Bustard Neotis ludwigii	EN	resident	1998	present	A3
Karoo Bustard Heterotetrax vigorsii	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Blue Bustard Eupodotis caerulescens	NT	resident	-	present	A1
Black Stork Ciconia nigra	LC	non-breeding	-	10-20 individuals	A4i
Lesser Kestrel Falco naumanni	LC	winter	-	5,000-10,000 individuals	A1, A4ii
Karoo Long-billed Lark Certhilauda subcoronata	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Karoo Lark Calendulauda albescens	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Namaqua Warbler Phragmacia substriata	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Layard's Warbler Curruca layardi	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Pale-winged Starling Onychognathus nabouroup	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Karoo Chat Emarginata schlegelii	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Sickle-winged Chat Emarginata sinuata	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Tractrac Chat Emarginata tractrac	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Black-headed Canary Serinus alario	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 (2014) is shown below.

State (condition of the trigger species' habitats)
Habitat	Quantity (% remaining)	Quality (% carrying capacity)	Result
Forest	poor (40-69%)	poor (40-69%)	very unfavourable
Shrubland	moderate (70-90%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Energy production and mining	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Transportation and service corridors	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Climate change and severe weather	likely in long term (beyond 4 years)	whole area/population (>90%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Natural system modifications	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Biological resource use	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	low
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant deterioration	low
Pollution	likely in short term (within 4 years)	small area/few individuals (<10%)	slow but significant deterioration	low

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Little/none of site covered (<10%)	No management planning has taken place	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	negligible

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1975	De Aar Nature Reserve	Nature Reserve	<1
1994	Rolfontein Provincial Nature Reserve	Nature Reserve	<1

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Grassland	Grassland - highveld	99
Forest	Woodland - mixed	-
Shrubland	Shrubland - bushy Karroo, Shrubland - dwarf Karroo	-
Wetlands (inland)	Rivers & streams, Saltpans	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
water management	90
nature conservation and research	1
agriculture	-
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Platberg-Karoo Conservancy (South Africa). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/platberg-karoo-conservancy-iba-south-africa on 23/11/2024.