Data Zone
The site was identified as internationally important for bird conservation in 2001 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bar-tailed Trogon Apaloderma vittatum | LC | resident (1999) | present | A3 |
| East Coast Batis Batis soror | LC | resident (1999) | present | A3 |
| White-tailed Crested-flycatcher Elminia albonotata | LC | resident (1999) | present | A3 |
| White-winged Apalis Apalis chariessa | NT | resident (1999) | present | A1, A2, A3 |
| Olive-headed Bulbul Arizelocichla striifacies | LC | resident (1999) | present | A3 |
| Spotted Ground-thrush Geokichla guttata | VU | resident (1999) | present | A1 |
| Orange Ground-thrush Geokichla gurneyi | LC | resident (1999) | present | A3 |
| White-starred Robin Pogonocichla stellata | LC | resident (1999) | present | A3 |
| Thyolo Alethe Chamaetylas choloensis | VU | resident (1999) | present | A1, A2, A3 |
| Bertram's Weaver Ploceus bertrandi | LC | resident (1999) | present | A3 |
| Red-faced Crimsonwing Cryptospiza reichenovii | LC | resident (1999) | present | A3 |
| Yellow-bellied Waxbill Coccopygia quartinia | LC | resident (1999) | present | A3 |
| East African Citril Crithagra hyposticta | LC | resident (1999) | present | A3 |
Ideally the conservation status of the IBA will have been checked regularly since the site was first identified in 2001. The most recent assessment (2013) is shown below.
| IBA conservation assessment | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year of assessment | State | Pressure | Response |
| 2013 | not assessed | very high | low |
| Whole site assessed? | State assessed by | Accuracy of information | |
| yes | unset | unknown | |
| Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats) | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Threat | Timing | Scope | Severity | Result |
| Human intrusions and disturbance | happening now | whole of population/area (>90%) | rapid decline (>30% over 3 generations) | very high |
| Agricultural expansion and intensification | happening now | whole of population/area (>90%) | moderate decline (10–30% over 3 generations) | very high |
| Residential and commercial development | happening now | most of population/area (50–90%) | moderate decline (10–30% over 3 generations) | high |
| Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Designation | Planning | Action | Result |
| Whole area (>90%) covered by appropriate conservation designation | No management planning has taken place | Some limited conservation initiatives are in place | low |
| Land use | % of IBA |
|---|---|
| forestry | - |
| water management | - |
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Soche Mountain Forest Reserve (Malawi). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/soche-mountain-forest-reserve-iba-malawi on 23/12/2024.