Table Mountain National Park and Surrounds (100953)
South Africa, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Global KBA criteria: A1a, A1b, A1c, A1d, A1e, A2, B1, B2, B3a, B4, D1a, E
Year of last assessment: 2024
National site name: Table Mountain National Park and Surrounds
Central coordinates: Latitude: -34.1890, Longitude: 18.3880
System: marine, terrestrial, freshwater
Elevation (m): 0 to 918
Area of KBA (km2): 1290.46021
Protected area coverage (%): 93.94
KBA classification: Global
Legacy site: No
Site details
Site description: Table Mountain National Park and Surrounds is a large terrestrial and marine site that is fully protected, found in the Western Cape, South Africa. This large urban site covers the southern parts of Table Mountain and the Cape Peninsula in the City of Cape Town. Vegetation is a medium dense, tall proteoid shrubland over a dense moderately tall, ericoid-leaved shrubland mainly proteoid, ericaceous and restioid fynbos, with some asteraceous fynbos. On steep to gentle slopes below the sandstone mountain slopes, and undulating hills on the western edge of the Cape Flats. Medium dense to open trees in tall, dense proteoid shrubland. A diverse type, dominated by asteraceous and proteoid fynbos, but with patches of Restio and ericaceous fynbos in wetter areas. Waboomveld is extensive in the north and heavily encroached by afrotemperate forest in places. Groves of Silver Trees (Leucadendron argenteum) occur on the wetter slopes. The marine portion includes mainly mosaic seafloor habitat (mostly rocky) in the 50-150m depth range on the mid shelf in the Cape ecoregion. Also includes False Bay within the Agulhas ecoregion. A variety of sandy and rocky shore types occur and kelp beds are common.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that meets the thresholds for 4 criteria described in the Global Standard for the Identification of KBAs. Based on current available information, 242 species meet one or more KBA criteria for this site. The KBA trigger species at this site include amphibians, birds, butterflies, mammals, plants, and reptiles. The site meets criterion A1 due to the presence of significant proportions of the global populations of 91 threatened species. Effectively the entire global populations of 5 Endangered and 9 Critically Endangered species are within the site. The site regularly holds 171 individual geographically restricted species, therefore meeting criterion B1. Assemblages of co-occurring range-restricted species in the Amphibia, Apiales, Asparagales, Asterales, Brassicales, Bruniales, Caryophyllales, Ericales, Fabales, Lamiales, Malvales, Myrtales, Poales, Proteales, Reptilia, Rosales, Santalales, and Sapindales taxonomic groups regularly present within the site meet criterion B2. Co-occurring species endemic to the Fynbos shrubland terrestrial ecoregion present at the site meet criterion B3. Aggregations of at least 1% of the global populations of 2 species are regularly present at the site, therefore it meets criterion D1. A quantitative analysis of irreplaceability indicates that the site is 100% irreplaceable for the global persistence of 104 species, therefore meeting criterion E. The site holds significant proportions of the global extent of 6 threatened ecosystems (meeting criterion A2).
Additional biodiversity: 152 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 part of the site managed by a regional conservation authority responsible for enforcing statutory regulations on landuse change in Critical Biodiversity Areas and threatened ecosystems.
Supersedes another site: Table Mountain (blank) [2%]; Boulders Beach ZA096 [0%]
Delineation rationale: Large protected area and WHS, including adjacent intact patches of threatened vegetation, surrounded by urban development within a Metropolitan Municipality. Part of a City Biodiversity Conservation Network (Critical Biodiversity Area network) previously identified as an AZE. Site includes the surrounding Marine protected area and near-shore islands
Habitats
Summary of habitats in KBA: Marine neritic (74%), Shrubland (21%)
Threats
| Threat level 1 | Threat level 2 | Threat level 3 | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Residential & commercial development | Tourism & recreation areas | 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)