Hex River Mountains (100803)
South Africa, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1e, B1, B2, B3a, B3b, B4, E
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Hex River Mountains
Central coordinates: Latitude: -33.4331, Longitude: 19.5434
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 431 to 2048
Area of KBA (km2): 728.19098
Protected area coverage (%): 96.65
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: Hex River Mountains is a terrestrial site that is fully protected, found in the Western Cape, South Africa. The site is situated on gentle to steep rugged mountain slopes ranging from foothills to high peaks and cliffs. The vegetation is restioid shrubland with a proteoid overstorey. Asteraceous fynbos found on lower slopes. Ericaceous fynbos becomes prominent at higher altitudes. In the east are low mountains, parallel hills and mid-altitude plateaus supporting 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, 45 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 7 threatened species. Effectively the entire global populations of 2 Endangered species are within the site. The site regularly holds 28 individual geographically restricted species, therefore meeting criterion B1. Assemblages of co-occurring range-restricted species in the Asterales, Caryophyllales, Ericales, Malvales, Proteales, Rosales, and Sapindales 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 21 species, therefore meeting criterion E. The site holds significant proportions of the global extent of 3 geographically restricted ecosystems (meeting criterion B4).
Additional biodiversity: 275 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.
Delineation rationale: Delineation boundaries follow those of a large protected area on a distinctive mountain range.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Shrubland (96%)
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 |
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)