Impendhle (100808)
South Africa, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A2, B1, B3a, B4, E
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Impendhle
Central coordinates: Latitude: -29.7231, Longitude: 29.9076
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 773 to 1598
Area of KBA (km2): 489.42195
Protected area coverage (%): 26.22
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: Impendhle is a terrestrial site with substantial protection, found in Kwazulu-Natal, South Africa. The site is situated on gently sloping valley bottoms of tall mixed veld dominated by Hyparrhenia hirta and sparsely scattered Acacia sieberiana. Themeda triandra is the dominant grass on veld that has been well managed and many species of Drakensberg Foothill Moist Grassland are well represented and include Diheteropogon filifolius, Harpochloa falx and Trachypogon spicatus. In the east, the site includes hilly and rolling landscape mainly associated with a discontinuous east-facing scarp formed by dolerite intrusions (south of the Thukela River) dominated by forb-rich, tall, sour Themeda triandra grasslands. It also includes small patches of mistbelt forest on the Great Escarpment. These forests are tall (15-20m tall) and multilayered. The forests found on low-altitude scarps are low (in places having the character of a scrub forest).
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, 9 species meet one or more KBA criteria for this site. The KBA trigger species at this site include amphibians, birds, butterflies, dragonflies, and plants. The site meets criterion A1 due to the presence of significant proportions of the global populations of 6 threatened species. The site regularly holds 5 individual geographically restricted species, therefore meeting criterion B1. A quantitative analysis of irreplaceability indicates that the site is 100% irreplaceable for the global persistence of 4 species, therefore meeting criterion E. The site holds a significant proportion of the global extent of 1 threatened ecosystem (meeting criterion A2).
Additional biodiversity: 30 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 catchment management agency.
Supersedes another site: Mistbelt grasslands (blank) [20%]; Southern Drakensberg foothills (blank) [16%]; Impendle Nature Reserve ZA057 [15%]
Delineation rationale: Delineation was guided by the boundaries of protected areas and Protected Environments, with large remnant patches of threatened grassland ecosystems, categorised as Critical Biodiversity Area and part of a Strategic Water Source Area.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Grassland (72%), Artificial - terrestrial (21%)
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Annual & perennial non-timber crops | 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)