Southern Richtersveld (100937)
South Africa, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, B1, B2, B3a, B4, E
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Southern Richtersveld
Central coordinates: Latitude: -29.0812, Longitude: 17.3562
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 118 to 1018
Area of KBA (km2): 4151.41123
Protected area coverage (%): 1.90
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: Southern Richtersveld is a large terrestrial site that has limited protection but has OECM coverage, found in the Northern Cape, South Africa. Includes a varied arid landscape with shrubland covered mountains hills, plains and a large arid sandy basin with grassy vegetation. Generally the low vegetation is dominated by the flat cushions of Brownanthus pseudoschlichtianus. Towards the west, a strong admixture of grasses, or mosaic elements of grassland, accompany the (flat) transition Oograbies Plains Sandy Grassland. Towards the escarpment, increasing rainfall and grazing pressure result in increasing importance of Zygophyllum retrofractum. In degraded areas Lebeckia multiflora and/or Euphorbia ephedroides are important. Includes mosaic of hills, flat or slightly rolling plains, with embedded quartz fields and ridges, some sand sheets and dunes, rocky gorges and including some rocky mountains. Quartz and quartzitic rocks are the most important. A wide spectrum of habitat types occurs, ranging from rocky outcrops to dunes. However, most of the area is hilly with shallow loam or sand cover with gravel above bedrock. These areas are covered by leaf-succulent dwarf shrublands. The escarpment includes the steep slope between the high plateau in the east and the lower plateau in the west as well as several ranges of mountains and hills at the upper and lower level. Due to the incision of deep valley systems, the area is deeply dissected into a number of thinly connected fragments. Mountainous terrain along the southern and western edges and sheet wash plains with roundish or steep rocky hills.
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, 53 species meet one or more KBA criteria for this site. The KBA trigger species at this site include birds, butterflies, plants, and reptiles. The site meets criterion A1 due to the presence of significant proportions of the global populations of 28 threatened species. Effectively the entire global populations of 4 Endangered and 4 Critically Endangered species are within the site. The site regularly holds 37 individual geographically restricted species, therefore meeting criterion B1. Assemblages of co-occurring range-restricted species in the Caryophyllales, Geraniales, Lamiales, and Saxifragales taxonomic groups regularly present within the site meet criterion B2. Co-occurring species endemic to the Namaqualand-Richtersveld steppe terrestrial ecoregion present at the site meet criterion B3. A quantitative analysis of irreplaceability indicates that the site is 100% irreplaceable for the global persistence of 19 species, therefore meeting criterion E. The site holds significant proportions of the global extent of 14 geographically restricted ecosystems (meeting criterion B4).
Additional biodiversity: 119 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, with part of the site managed by a protected area management authority.
Delineation rationale: Distinctive desert landscape to the south of a large World Heritage Site and National Park. Site includes a small satellite protected area and buffer zone of WHS, partly categorised as Critical Biodiversity Area.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Shrubland (99%)
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Energy production & mining | Mining & quarrying | Ongoing | |
| Natural system modifications | Dams & water management/use | 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)