Gouritz Cluster - Witteberge (100793)
South Africa, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, B1, B2, B3a, B3b, B4, E
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Gouritz Cluster - Witteberge
Central coordinates: Latitude: -33.2732, Longitude: 21.0997
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 404 to 1469
Area of KBA (km2): 3391.873
Protected area coverage (%): 2.17
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: Gouritz Cluster - Witteberge is a large terrestrial site that has limited protection but has OECM coverage, found in the Western Cape, South Africa. The site is situated within rregular to slightly undulating plains covered with dwarf spiny shrubland dominated by Karoo dwarf shrubs with rare low trees. Dense stands of drought-resistant cover (especially after abundant rains) occur in broad sandy bottomlands. Slightly undulating to hilly landscapes are covered by low succulent scrub and dotted by scattered tall shrubs, with patches of white grass visible on plains, the most conspicuous dominants being dwarf shrubs. The site also includes low flat mountains and parallel ridges in a west-east orientation with narrow linear bands surrounded by Matjiesfontein Shale Fynbos and Succulent Karoo vegetation. It is a medium dense, medium tall shrubland, structurally classified mainly as asteraceous and proteoid fynbos, although restioid fynbos is also present. The lower northern slopes in the east, where there is a rainshadow effect due to the Swartberg Mountains, support Succulent Karoo vegetation. Low mountains, parallel hills and mid-altitude plateaus support a low, open to medium dense, leptophyllous shrubland with a medium dense matrix of short, divaricate shrubs, dominated by renosterbos.
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, 22 species meet one or more KBA criteria for this site. The KBA trigger species at this site include birds, butterflies, fish, and plants. The site meets criterion A1 due to the presence of significant proportions of the global populations of 4 threatened species. The site regularly holds 9 individual geographically restricted species, therefore meeting criterion B1. Assemblages of co-occurring range-restricted species in the Caryophyllales and Proteales 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 indicates that the site is 100% irreplaceable for the global persistence of 5 species, therefore meeting criterion E. The site holds significant proportions of the global extent of 3 geographically restricted ecosystems (meeting criterion B4).
Additional biodiversity: 180 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.
Supersedes another site: Anysberg Nature Reserve ZA087 [0%]
Delineation rationale: Delination follows the boundary of a Biosphere Reserve section with renosterveld and karroid 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 (99%)
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 |
| 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)