Current view: Text account
Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
This conservancy comprises a single farm, Voordeel 681, situated on the Free State/KwaZulu-Natal border c.30 km south-east of Memel. The area consists of undulating, natural sourveld grassland on a hilly, high-altitude plateau, together with the steeply sloping grassy hillsides and the valley of the main tributary of the Klip river. A proportion of the conservancy is cultivated. The dominant types of natural grassland are moist clay highveld grassland, moist cool highveld grassland and north-eastern mountain grassland.
See Box and Tables 2 and 3 for key species. This area supports some highly threatened grassland species, including
Heteromirafra ruddi,
Spizocorys fringillaris,
Anthus chloris and
Geronticus calvus. Several other grassland species, such as
Monticola explorator,
Saxicola bifasciata and
Eupodotis caerulescens, occur here. The rocky outcrops hold
Anthus crenatus and
Geocolaptes olivaceus.
Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
The site is located within a privately owned farming district and it is not officially protected. The land is used primarily for agriculture. Overgrazing threatens several species as different intensities of grazing suit different species. Management practices such as burning the grassland in November, during the primary breeding season, may affect bird populations. Research should be directed at establishing the impacts of alternative management practices on breeding success of threatened species. Treatments can then be applied to different portions of the grassland so that selected species can benefit.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Voordeel Conservancy (South Africa). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/voordeel-conservancy-iba-south-africa on 23/11/2024.
