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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
Striped Flufftail Sarothrura affinis	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Knysna Turaco Tauraco corythaix	LC	resident	1998	present	A2, A3
Forest Buzzard Buteo trizonatus	NT	resident	1998	present	A3
Grey Cuckooshrike Ceblepyris caesius	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Barratt's Warbler Bradypterus barratti	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Blue Swallow Hirundo atrocaerulea	EN	breeding	1998	present	A1, A3
Yellow-throated Woodland-warbler Phylloscopus ruficapilla	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Bush Blackcap Sylvia nigricapillus	VU	resident	1998	present	A1, A2, A3
Orange Ground-thrush Geokichla gurneyi	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Brown Scrub-robin Tychaedon signata	LC	resident	1998	present	A2
White-starred Robin Pogonocichla stellata	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Chorister Robin-chat Cossypha dichroa	LC	resident	1998	present	A2, A3
Swee Waxbill Coccopygia melanotis	LC	resident	1998	present	A3
Forest Canary Crithagra scotops	LC	resident	1998	present	A2, 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
Grassland	poor (40-69%)	poor (40-69%)	very unfavourable
Savanna	poor (40-69%)	poor (40-69%)	very unfavourable
Forest	moderate (70-90%)	moderate (70-90%)	unfavourable

Pressure (threats to the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Threat	Timing	Scope	Severity	Result
Agricultural expansion and intensification	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Natural system modifications	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Invasive and other problematic species and genes	happening now	majority/most of area/population (50-90%)	moderate to rapid deterioration	high
Residential and commercial development	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Energy production and mining	likely in long term (beyond 4 years)	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Transportation and service corridors	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Biological resource use	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Human intrusions and disturbance	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium
Pollution	happening now	some of area/population (10-49%)	slow but significant deterioration	medium

Response (conservation actions taken for the trigger species and/or their habitats)
Protected areas	Management plan	Other action	Result
Some of site covered (10-49%)	A management plan exists but it is out of date or not comprehensive	Some limited conservation initiatives are in place	low

Year	Protected Area	Designation	% overlap with IBA
1967	River Park Private Nature Reserve	Nature Reserve	<1
1977	Wolkberg Wilderness Area	Forest Wilderness Area	5
1984	Nature Reserve: Co-operation and Development	Nature Reserve	5
1986	Narina Nature Reserve	Nature Reserve	<1
1988	Grootbosch Nature Reserve	Forest Nature Reserve	1
2001	Kruger to Canyons	UNESCO-MAB Biosphere Reserve	79
2016	Haenerstsburg Nature Reserve	Nature Reserve	<1

Habitat1	Habitat detail	% of IBA
Artificial/Terrestrial	Forestry & agro-industrial plantations	-
Forest	Montane forest - mixed	-
Grassland	Grassland - highveld	-
Savanna	Bushland & thicket - montane	-

1. IUCN Habitat classification.

Land use	% of IBA
forestry	70
nature conservation and research	17
water management	10
tourism/recreation	-

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Recommended citation
BirdLife International (2024) Important Bird Area factsheet: Wolkberg Forest Belt (South Africa). Downloaded from https://datazone.birdlife.org/site/factsheet/wolkberg-forest-belt-iba-south-africa on 23/11/2024.