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Site description (2001 baseline):
Site location and context
Waterberg Plateau Park is located some 30 km east of Otjiwarongo. The primary feature within the park is the Waterberg Plateau, which rises to 1,800 m on the western and southern sides. The major part of this differentially weathered sandstone plateau is at 1,600 m, some 150–200 m above the surrounding plain. The plateau consists mostly of near-vertical cliffs on the east and west, up to 140 m high. In the north the plateau gradually widens and dips to join the plain. Below the cliffs the ground slopes steeply but evenly away from the base of the mountain; the slopes are covered by sandstone scree weathered from the summit. The plateau comprises an undulating landscape with deep sand and scattered granite koppies. It is an erosional relict of a hard Etjo sandstone casing that covered large parts of Namibia millions of years ago. Most of the ancient plateau was carved up over aeons, but the resistant Etjo sandstone prevented the erosion of the Waterberg. To the south of the main plateau lies the Klein Waterberg, an inselberg rising to 1,930 m, which is now part of a large conservancy surrounding the park.
On the plateau summit thick broadleaved woodland occurs right to the edge of the escarpment. The broadleaved tree and shrub savanna is dominated by
Terminalia,
Burkea,
Combretum and
Peltophorum. There are isolated grass savanna valleys. Below this, and surrounding the plateau for thousands of square kilometres, lies a sea of dense scrub, dominated by
Acacia and
Dichrostachys.
See Box and Table 3 for key species. This park supports over 200 bird species, including Namibia’s only surviving colony of
Gyps coprotheres, which used to breed on the cliffs of Okarukuwisa mountain (1,884 m) in the Waterberg range. Due to poisoning and bush encroachment these birds no longer breed. It is the only area in Namibia where
Hieraaetus pennatus minisculus are known to breed. Other cliff-nesting raptors breeding on the Waterberg include
Falco peregrinus and
Aquila verreauxii. Vultures include
Torgos tracheliotus,
Trigonoceps occipitalis and
Gyps africanus. Other raptors include
Sagittarius serpentarius,
Terathopius ecaudatus,
Polemaetus bellicosus and
Aquila rapax. The park lies close to the boundary of near-endemic Namibian species such as
Parus carpi and their northern cousins (e.g.
P. niger).
Non-bird biodiversity: Among mammals, threatened species include Acinonyx jubatus (VU), Ceratotherium simum (LR/cd) and Diceros bicornis (CR), while Madoqua kirkii is near-endemic to Namibia and common here.
Pressure/threats to key biodiversity
Originally established as the Eland Game Reserve in 1965, the Waterberg Plateau Park was declared in 1972. The colony of
Gyps coprotheres numbered over 500 in the 1950s, but this crashed to 20 birds by 1980 and an all-time low of 14 birds in 1987, with only three pairs breeding in 1996. Vultures have declined as a result of indiscriminate use of poisons by farmers to control vermin and severe bush encroachment at the base of the mountain preventing efficient foraging. These birds are now exceptionally vulnerable, and a single irresponsible poisoning event could result in this species becoming extinct in Namibia. This may have happened in 1995 when breeding suddenly stopped and the population dropped from 25 to five birds. In an attempt to prevent the extinction of this colony a vulture restaurant was established in 1984, to supplement the birds’ diet. A simultaneous farmer-awareness programme was initiated.
Other conservation problems include severe bush encroachment around the plateau and on adjoining farmland. In 1997 a private conservancy was established completely surrounding the plateau. The plateau features a core (18,600 ha) wilderness area where human activities are kept to a minimum. The park was originally established to resettle and breed rare and endangered large mammal species. To date
Hippotragus equinus,
H. niger,
Taurotragus oryx,
Giraffa camelopardalis,
Connochaetes taurinus,
Ceratotherium simum,
Diceros bicornis and
Syncerus caffer have been reintroduced. The park is rich in cultural heritage, with many rock engravings by Stone Age inhabitants, as well as dinosaur footprints.
Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Waterberg Plateau Park (Namibia). Downloaded from
https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/waterberg-plateau-park-iba-namibia on 23/11/2024.
