Gouritz Cluster - Prins Albert (100785)
South Africa, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1d, B1, B2, B3a, B3b, B4, E
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Gouritz Cluster - Prins Albert
Central coordinates: Latitude: -33.2772, Longitude: 22.7469
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 415 to 1495
Area of KBA (km2): 3425.0453
Protected area coverage (%): 3.56
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: Gouritz Cluster - Prins Albert is a large terrestrial site that has limited protection but has OECM coverage, found in the Western Cape and Eastern Cape provinces in South Africa. The site is situated within mostly flat or only slightly undulating country with prominent parallel stony ridges in places, populated by low scrub where leaf-succulent vygies and small-leaved Karoo shrubs share dominance. Heuweltjies are an important feature of this vegetation they occur at a density of about two per hectare, supporting succulent and salt-tolerant plant assemblages. Succulent-rich dwarf shrubland (Pentzia incana, Drosanthemum lique) with scattered bushclumps of medium height (2-3m) and solitary small trees. Patches of renosterveld, dominated by Elytropappus rhinocerotis, occur on cooler south-facing slopes, while Portulacaria afra can be dominant on arid north-facing slopes. Intermontane valleys and lower slopes are covered with low, medium dense, cupressoid-leaved shrubland having an open grassy understorey, and dominated by renosterbos. North-facing slopes have thicket clumps.
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, 23 species meet one or more KBA criteria for this site. The KBA trigger species at this site include birds, butterflies, fish, plants, and reptiles. The site meets criterion A1 due to the presence of significant proportions of the global populations of 5 threatened species. The site regularly holds 5 individual geographically restricted species, therefore meeting criterion B1. Assemblages of co-occurring range-restricted species in the Proteales and Rosales taxonomic groups regularly present within the site meet criterion B2. Co-occurring species endemic to the Fynbos terrestrial bioregion present at the site meet criterion B3. A quantitative analysis of irreplaceability indicate that the site is 100% irreplaceable for the global persistence of 4 species, therefore meeting criterion E. The site holds significant proportions of the global extent of 7 geographically restricted ecosystems (meeting criterion B4).
Additional biodiversity: 121 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 Biosphere Reserve management authority, with part of the site managed by a regional conservation authority responsible for enforcing statutory regulations on landuse change in Critical Biodiversity Areas and threatened ecosystems.
Delineation rationale: Delination follows the boundaries of a Biosphere Reserve section with arid thicket and karoid shrubland vegetation, north of the Swartberg. It is partly categorised as Critical Biodiversity Area in a systematic conservation plan.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Shrubland (98%)
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | Scale Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing | |
| Residential & commercial development | Commercial & industrial areas | 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)