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Heyshope Dam: Bay 10 (26593027)

Mpumalanga

CWAC status REGISTERED-COUNTS SUSPENDED
Authority Private
Management status STATE IMPOUNDMENT
Conservation status UNKNOWN
IBA information SA020 - GRASSLAND BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Ramsar information
Heritage information
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Information 

Date_registered
1994-06-18
Brief_description
A large, state-owned storage dam in the Assegaai River catchment, surrounded by agricultural land (beef and maize production). Shoreline gently sloping; either heavily grazed or with rank grass and weeds. A proposed Ramsar site which holds extremely large numbers of at least 52 waterbird species, concentrated in the 17 bays where rivers enter the dam. Small areas which are regularly counted hold up to 45 000 waterbirds; the entire system may hold 100 000. In drought years the dam provides a refuge for birds from surrounding pans, including Lake Chrissie. Only one CWAC count available, for winter 1992, when only small sections of the dam were visited but nationally significant numbers of Yellowbilled Duck and Cape Shoveller were recorded, plus high counts of Dabchick, cormorants, ducks, geese, and shorebirds (including some Palaearctic species). Eutrophication, resulting from inflow of agricultural fertilisers, is a potential problem. Other problems could be posed by opencast coal mining and afforostation in the catchment areas. This important site should be monitored on a regular basis.

SppCommon nameTaxonomic nameMinAvgMaxIBASubregional
IBA
RAMSAR
212Coot, Red-knobbedFulica cristata1414.0014   
50Cormorant, ReedMicrocarbo africanus247247.00247   
104Duck, White-backedThalassornis leuconotus104104.00104   
96Duck, Yellow-billedAnas undulata6161.0061   
4Grebe, Great CrestedPodiceps cristatus44.004   
6Grebe, LittleTachybaptus ruficollis2525.0025   
54Heron, GreyArdea cinerea22.002   
245Lapwing, BlacksmithVanellus armatus33.003   
102Pochard, SouthernNetta erythrophthalma1919.0019   
94Shoveler, CapeAnas smithii22.002   
97Teal, Red-billedAnas erythrorhyncha33.003   
FITZ logo Ramsar Wetlands International http://www.sanbi.org/

Monday 09 December 2024 06:00
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town

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