Steenkampsberg Grasslands (100941)
South Africa, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1c, B1, B2, B3a, B4, E
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Steenkampsberg Grasslands
Central coordinates: Latitude: -25.4929, Longitude: 30.1935
System: terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 1122 to 2250
Area of KBA (km2): 3031.81705
Protected area coverage (%): 13.38
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: Steenkampsberg Grasslands is a large terrestrial site that has limited protection, found in Mpumalanga, South Africa. The landscape is dominated by high elevation (c. 2000m) plateau grasslands, mountain slopes and shallow valleys. Grasslands are short with high forb diversity (Steenkampsberg Montane Grassland). Some Northern Afrotemperate Forest occurs along the escarpment in the east of the site. These are relatively species-poor forests found as small patches in kloofs and on sub-ridge scarps at high altitudes (1500-1900m). Canopy dominated usually by Podocarpus latifolius, Olinia emarginata, Halleria lucida, Scolopia mundii and rarely also by Widdringtonia nodiflora, in drier facies also by Pittosporum viridiflorum, Celtis africana, Mimusops zeyheri, Nuxia congesta and Combretum erythrophyllum.
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, 39 species meet one or more KBA criteria for this site. The KBA trigger species at this site include birds, butterflies, fish, mammals, and plants. The site meets criterion A1 due to the presence of significant proportions of the global populations of 23 threatened species. Effectively the entire global population of one Endangered species is within the site. The site regularly holds 27 individual geographically restricted species, therefore meeting criterion B1. Assemblages of co-occurring range-restricted species in the Asparagales, Aves, Caryophyllales, and Lamiales taxonomic groups regularly present within the site meet criterion B2. Co-occurring species endemic to the Highveld grasslands 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 12 species, therefore meeting criterion E. The site holds a significant proportion of the global extent of 1 geographically restricted ecosystem (meeting criterion B4).
Additional biodiversity: 23 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.
Supersedes another site: Steenkampsberg ZA012 [45%]
Delineation rationale: Distinctive mountain range previously identified as Important Bird and Biodiversity Area. Modified boundary includes immediate surrounds, and adjacent cluster of small protected areas and intact grassland vegetation, categorised as Critical Biodiversity Area.
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Grassland (81%), Artificial - terrestrial (15%)
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agriculture & aquaculture | Wood & pulp plantations | Scale Unknown/Unrecorded | Ongoing |
| 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)