BirdLife International: Overstrand an important bird area
Members of Birdlife Overberg are very excited about the news that the Overstrand municipal area has been proclaimed as an important bird area (IBA).
IBA’s are selected according to criteria determined by BirdLife International (BLI) and applied internationally. The application of these criteria in each country is deemed to be of birdas and their habitats on a global scale.
According to Dr Anton Odendal, chairperson of Birdlife Overberg, it is well known that the area included in the Overstrand municipality hoists a range of bird species that are endemic to the southern African sub region and therefore found nowhere else on earth. Add to this the fact that the largest population of blue cranes in th world is found in the Overberg, and it becomes evident that the Overstrand certainly complies with the criteria for registration as an IBA under the auspices of BLI.
Three IBA’s have previously been registered in the Overstrand region, or parts thereof. These are the Eastern False Bay Mountains (SA 107), Botriviervlei and the Kleinmond Estuary (SA 118) and Dyer Island Nature Reserve (SA 120). An application to have the entire Overstrand municipal area declared as an IBA was initially submitted to the African secretariat of BLI and then to BirdLife International. The application was approved and the Overstrand has now been proclaimed as southern Africa’s latest IBA. This should further enhance the area’s reputation as a responsible conservbation region, as well as a top tourism destination.