Kleinrivierslvlei (Upper) (34251925) | |
|---|---|
Western Cape | |
| CWAC status | REGISTERED-COUNTED REGULARLY |
| Authority | |
| Management status | Coastal Public Property (CPP) – although the property boundaries on either side of the river extend into the river (covering the river area), this “land under the water” is technically CPP. |
| Conservation status | Unprotected |
| IBA information | Cape Whale Coast IBA |
| Ramsar information | |
| Heritage information | |
| View Cards | Click here |
Information |
|---|
| Date_registered |
| 2022-02-12 |
| Brief_description |
| The Klein River Estuary lies on the southern coast of the Western Cape between Hermanus and Stanford, where the Klein River widens into a large, shallow lagoon before entering Walker Bay. It comprises open water, tidal channels, mud and sand banks, salt marshes, and reed beds, supporting important fish nursery areas and diverse birdlife, and is regarded as one of the region’s most ecologically significant estuaries. The site is a KBA and IBA. Key threats include reduced freshwater inflow from water abstraction, nutrient enrichment, and pollution from agricultural runoff and wastewater, sedimentation, illegal fishing, and management challenges related to recreational activities and the breaching of the estuary mouth. |
| Hydrological_features |
| WETLAND/ SITE CLASSIFICATION (%): Estuarine waters - permanent water of est. systems (100%) |
| Ecological_features |
| HABITAT/ WETLAND COMPOSITION: Emergent vegetation (30%) – Common reed Surrounding vegetation (10%) – Grasses, trees Very little submerged or floating vegetation (seasonal) – essentially, open water Dominant substrate type: mud Acidity: unknown Salinity: Fresh – Brak (seasonal, fresh in winter, and dependent on mouth open/ closed) Approximate size: 72 ha Site/ wetland context: Part of a mosaic of wetlands App. length/ width: Length - 6.5km; Width – 50m |
| Spp | Common name | Taxonomic name | Min | Avg | Max | IBA | Subregional IBA | RAMSAR |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 269 | Avocet, Pied | Recurvirostra avosetta | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
| 212 | Coot, Red-knobbed | Fulica cristata | 4 | 4.00 | 4 | |||
| 50 | Cormorant, Reed | Microcarbo africanus | 36 | 36.00 | 36 | |||
| 216 | Crane, Blue | Grus paradisea | 2 | 2.00 | 2 | |||
| 52 | Darter, African | Anhinga rufa | 4 | 4.00 | 4 | |||
| 100 | Duck, White-faced Whistling | Dendrocygna viduata | 4 | 4.00 | 4 | |||
| 96 | Duck, Yellow-billed | Anas undulata | 45 | 45.00 | 45 | |||
| 60 | Egret, Intermediate [x] | Ardea intermedia | 2 | 2.00 | 2 | |||
| 61 | Egret, Western Cattle | Bubulcus ibis | 66 | 66.00 | 66 | |||
| 149 | Fish Eagle, African | Haliaeetus vocifer | 4 | 4.00 | 4 | |||
| 89 | Goose, Egyptian | Alopochen aegyptiaca | 7 | 7.00 | 7 | |||
| 6 | Grebe, Little | Tachybaptus ruficollis | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
| 287 | Gull, Kelp | Larus dominicanus | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
| 167 | Harrier, African Marsh | Circus ranivorus | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
| 55 | Heron, Black-headed | Ardea melanocephala | 2 | 2.00 | 2 | |||
| 54 | Heron, Grey | Ardea cinerea | 2 | 2.00 | 2 | |||
| 57 | Heron, Purple | Ardea purpurea | 6 | 6.00 | 6 | |||
| 81 | Ibis, African Sacred | Threskiornis aethiopicus | 29 | 29.00 | 29 | |||
| 84 | Ibis, Hadada | Bostrychia hagedash | 6 | 6.00 | 6 | |||
| 397 | Kingfisher, Malachite | Corythornis cristatus | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
| 394 | Kingfisher, Pied | Ceryle rudis | 9 | 9.00 | 9 | |||
| 245 | Lapwing, Blacksmith | Vanellus armatus | 52 | 52.00 | 52 | |||
| 210 | Moorhen, Common | Gallinula chloropus | 4 | 4.00 | 4 | |||
| 94 | Shoveler, Cape | Anas smithii | 8 | 8.00 | 8 | |||
| 270 | Stilt, Black-winged | Himantopus himantopus | 56 | 56.00 | 56 | |||
| 208 | Swamphen, African | Porphyrio madagascariensis | 4 | 4.00 | 4 | |||
| 98 | Teal, Cape | Anas capensis | 6 | 6.00 | 6 | |||
| 10009 | Tern, Unidentified | N/A N/A | 1 | 1.00 | 1 | |||
| 274 | Thick-knee, Water | Burhinus vermiculatus | 7 | 7.00 | 7 | |||
| 686 | Wagtail, Cape | Motacilla capensis | 1 | 1.00 | 1 |
Sunday 05 April 2026 07:39
FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology
Department
of Biological Sciences - University of Cape Town
This work is licensed under a
Creative
Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 Unported License