Data Zone
The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation 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 List | Season (year/s of estimate) | Size | IBA criteria |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana | LC | resident (1998) | present | A1 |
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.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2013 | moderate | very high | low |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| yes | habitat | medium | |
| State (condition of the trigger species' populations) | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Species | Actual vs Reference (units) | % remaining | Result | ||
| Short-clawed Lark Certhilauda chuana | 120 / 150 (birds) | 80 | moderate | ||
| State (condition of the trigger species' habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Habitat | Quantity (% remaining) | Quality (% carrying capacity) | Result |
| Grassland | good (>90%) | moderate (70–90%) | moderate |
| Shrubland | good (>90%) | moderate (70–90%) | moderate |
| Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Residential and commercial development | happening now | whole of population/area (>90%) | rapid decline (>30% over 3 generations) | very high |
| Energy production and mining | happening now | most of population/area (50–90%) | moderate decline (10–30% over 3 generations) | high |
| Natural system modifications | happening now | most of population/area (50–90%) | moderate decline (10–30% over 3 generations) | high |
| Transportation and service corridors | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | moderate decline (10–30% over 3 generations) | high |
| Agricultural expansion and intensification | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | slow decline (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Biological resource use | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | slow decline (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Invasive and other problematic species and genes | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | slow decline (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Pollution | happening now | some of population/area (10–49%) | slow decline (1–10% over 3 generations) | medium |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Little/none of area covered (<10%) | 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 | low |
| Habitat | % of IBA | Habitat detail |
|---|---|---|
| Artificial/Terrestrial | 95 | |
| Shrubland | 4 | |
| Forest | - | |
| Grassland | - | Grassland - edaphic, dry |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| forestry | 70 |
| water management | 10 |
| nature conservation and research | 2 |
| unknown | - |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Polokwane Nature Reserve (South Africa). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/polokwane-nature-reserve-iba-south-africa on 24/12/2024.