West Coast Sandveld (100897)
South Africa, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1c, A1d, A1e, A2, B1, B2, B3a, B4, E
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: West Coast Sandveld
Central coordinates: Latitude: -32.3202, Longitude: 18.4682
System: terrestrial, marine, freshwater
Elevation (m): 0 to 481
Area of KBA (km2): 1540.53184
Protected area coverage (%): 4.03
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: West Coast Sandveld is a large terrestrial site that has limited protection, found in the Western Cape, South Africa. Mainly plains, slightly rolling in places, covered with shrublands with an upper open stratum of emergent, 2-3m tall shrubs in clumps. The vegetation matrix is formed by fairly dense, 1 1.2m tall restiolands, with numerous medium tall to low shrubs scattered in between. Understorey with a conspicuous winter to spring herbaceous complement of annuals and geophytes occurs in years with good rain. Structurally, these are mainly restioid and asteraceous fynbos types, with localised patches of proteoid fynbos also present. This is a dry form of sand fynbos, lacking Ericaceae and with proteoid elements relatively rare. Sward communities, associated with grazing, are dominated by Aizoon canariense and Tribolium echinatum. At its northern (arid) boundary the sand fynbos structure becomes very diffuse and is progressively replaced by strandveld. Includes a series of old dunes and slightly undulating, consolidated sand-dune fields supporting mixed, 1.2-1.5m tall, dense shrubland composed of evergreen, sclerophyllous and fleshy, drought-deciduous-leaved shrubs, with a dense understorey of low (0.2-0.5m), unpalatable, succulent shrubs. Perennial herbs and annuals are dominant in degraded areas. On low mountains and gently undulating plains there are low scrub with scattered tall shrubs. Structurally it is asteraceous and scrub fynbos, with proteoid and restioid fynbos on deeper soils. In this arid environment numerous so-called woody nonfynbos shrubs occur, mainly in fire-safe environments, within the fynbos matrix. This Cape thicket and scrub fynbos communities are the dominant feature of this vegetation type in rocky areas and cliffs.
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, 47 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 21 threatened species. Effectively the entire global populations of 2 Critically Endangered species are within the site. The site regularly holds 20 individual geographically restricted species, therefore meeting criterion B1. Assemblages of co-occurring range-restricted species in the Asterales, Caryophyllales, Proteales, Reptilia, Rosales, and Sapindales 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 7 species, therefore meeting criterion E. The site holds significant proportions of the global extent of 5 threatened ecosystems (meeting criterion A2).
Additional biodiversity: 124 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 regional conservation authority responsible for enforcing statutory regulations on landuse change in Critical Biodiversity Areas and threatened ecosystems.
Supersedes another site: Verlorenvlei Estuary ZA082 [19%]
Delineation rationale: Distinctive landscape consisting of many patches of highly threatened sandveld vegetation on a coastal plain, categorised as Critical Biodiversity Area. Site includes Important Bird and Biodiversity Area around Verloernvlei, surrounded by intensive agriculture, and western boundary defined by seashore.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Shrubland (70%), Artificial - terrestrial (26%)
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)