Camdeboo (100742)
South Africa, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1c, A1d, B1, B2, B3a, B4, E
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Camdeboo
Central coordinates: Latitude: -32.2278, Longitude: 24.8568
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 449 to 2252
Area of KBA (km2): 11362.18873
Protected area coverage (%): 57.75
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: Camdeboo is a very large terrestrial site with substantial protection, found in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. Much of the site includes mountain summits, low mountains and hills with wiry, tussock grasslands, usually dominated by Merxmuellera disticha. Other common species include the grasses typical of dry grasslands. An important low shrub component occurs throughout this grassland unit. On flats and gently sloping plains, the landscape is dominated by dwarf microphyllous shrubs, with white grasses of the genera Aristida and Eragrostis (these become prominent especially in the early autumn months after good summer rains). The grass cover increases along a gradient from southwest to northeast. Steep slopes of koppies, butts, mesas and parts of the Great Escarpment covered with large boulders and stones supporting sparse dwarf Karoo scrub with drought-tolerant grasses. There are also patches of rugged, broken and steeply sloping escarpment and mountain slopes. Short (2 m) and dense succulent thicket with Portulacaria afra often dominant. Woody, often spinescent shrubs are abundant, while trees are sparse. Pockets of karroid shrubland also occur in this unit. There are also small patches of low (2-3 m) thicket, often dominated by Portulacaria afra, on rugged, broken and steeply sloping escarpment and lower mountain slopes.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for 3 criteria described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. Based on current available information, 40 species meet one or more KBA criteria for this site. The KBA trigger species at this site include birds, butterflies, mammals, plants, and reptiles. The site meets criterion A1 due to the presence of significant proportions of the global populations of 16 threatened species. Effectively the entire global population of one Endangered species is within the site. The site regularly holds 29 individual geographically restricted species, therefore meeting criterion B1. Assemblages of co-occurring range-restricted species in the Caryophyllales and Fabales taxonomic groups regularly present within the site meet criterion B2. A quantitative analysis of irreplaceability indicates that the site is 100% irreplaceable for the global persistence of 15 species, therefore meeting criterion E. The site holds significant proportions of the global extent of 4 geographically restricted ecosystems (meeting criterion B4).
Additional biodiversity: 32 other potential trigger species meet minimum population parameter thresholds for the site, but presence and/or minimum reproductive units required to meet KBA criteria cannot be confirmed with available data.
Manageability of the site: This site is managed primarily by a protected area management authority, with parts of the site managed by a regional conservation authority responsible for enforcing statutory regulations on landuse change in Critical Biodiversity Areas and threatened ecosystems, and Conservancy management team.
Supersedes another site: Mountain Zebra National Park complex (blank) [18%]; Camdeboo complex (blank) [9%]; Pearston Escarpment (blank) [6%]
Delineation rationale: Delination was guided by a distinctive landscape of connected mountain chains with extensive co-managed protected areas and Protected Environments, including a private conservancy and established landscape conservation initiatives.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Shrubland (62%), Grassland (37%)
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Scale Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Wood & pulp plantations | Scale Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing |
Additional information
Contributors: Gavin Masterson (Fathom Data), Warrick Stewart (Resilience Environmental Advice), Anisha Dayaram (South African National Biodiversity Institute), Maphale Monyeki (South African National Biodiversity Institute), Sediqa Khatieb (South African National Biodiversity Institute), Craig Hilton-Taylor (IUCN)