Sebakwe Poort (7221)
Zimbabwe, Africa
Site overview
KBA status: confirmed
Year of last assessment: 2001
National site name: Sebakwe Poort
Central coordinates: Latitude: -18.8500, Longitude: 29.7333
System: freshwater, terrestrial
Elevation (m): 1150 to 1283
Area of KBA (km2): 1.45047
KBA classification: Regional
Legacy site: Yes
Site details
Site description: Downstream by 10 km from the town of Kwekwe (which is in the geographical centre of Zimbabwe), and to its north-west, the Sebakwe river flows westwards through a 300-m-long gorge in a small range of hills, with cliffs up to 100 m in height. The river is up to 40 m wide, and there are almost no screes. The gorge is several kilometres downstream of the Lancashire Steel factory. Very close by on the east side are several small gold-mines, so that there is a certain amount of traffic on foot. The area is completely wooded in miombo, with Acacia lining the riverbanks. There is quite a diversity of tree species on the range of hills.
Rationale for qualifying as KBA: This site qualifies as a Key Biodiversity Area of international significance that was identified using previously established criteria and thresholds for the identification of Important Bird and Biodiversity Areas (IBAs) and for which available data indicate that it does not meet global KBA criteria and thresholds set out in the Global Standard.
Additional biodiversity: See Box for key species. Ciconia nigra nest on the cliffs, all but one pair being on the south cliff and facing north-east. This is the largest ‘colony’ in Zimbabwe. Also nesting on the cliffs are one pair of Falco peregrinus (in 1997 for the first time in several years) and one pair of Falco biarmicus. Non-bird biodiversity: None known to BirdLife International.
Habitats
Land use: agriculture | forestry | nature conservation and research
Threats
Summary of threats to biodiversity at KBA: The land belongs to Sebakwe Farms (Pvt) Ltd., a subsidiary of Sable Chemical Industries Ltd. The poort itself and a surrounding area are leased to the National Trust as a nature reserve, and are under the local supervision of the estates manager. Some patrolling is done. Illegal wood-cutting and probably snaring occur. Undoubtedly there is pollution of the Sebakwe river, and not just from the factory. The Sebakwe, and its main tributary the Bembezana, flow through a major barley-growing area to the east of Kwekwe, with consequent run-off of fertilizer and pesticides likely.