The Kalahari Gemsbok National Park is situated in the sliver of land between Botswana and Namibia, 320 km north of Upington. It is an integral part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which together with neighbouring wildlife management areas in Botswana form one of the largest contiguous conservation areas in the world (3,7 million ha).
The whole area is fairly homogeneous and for the most part consists of Kalahari Duneveld, which is characterised by camel thorn Vachellia (formerly Acacia) erioloba trees, three-thorn or driedoring Rhigozum trichotomum bushes and Bushman grass Schmidtia kalahariensis. It falls within the Savanna Biome. The vegetation structure is predominantly that of shrubby grassland, except in the north and along the Auob and Nossob rivers where open-tree savanna is present. The major landscape units are high and low dunes (with crests and valleys); highly irregular dunes; sandy plains with red to pinkish sand; rivers (including terraces and calcrete outcrops); and pans on whitish, compact calcareous sand and clay. The vegetation on fine-textured soils, such as those found in the pans, frequently shows a karroid nature. There are seven major vegetation types divided into 20 landscape units and 489 plant species (Van Rooyen et al. 2008).
The Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park has a list of approximately 280 species, of which only about 92 are resident. The remainder comprises mainly nomadic (17), migratory (50) and vagrant (121) species. It is an important area for raptors, with at least 52 species recorded, and contributes significantly to their conservation. A total of 239 species has been reported in the Kalahari Gemsbok National Park during the SABAP1 and SABAP2 projects.
Four vulture species are present: White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus, Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos, White-headed Vulture Aegypius occipitalis and Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres. White-backed and Lappet-faced Vultures show a preference for the Nossob and Auob riverbeds as both have large trees suitable for roosting and nesting. Other threatened breeding raptors include Bateleur Terathopius ecaudatus, Martial Eagle Polemaetus bellicosus and Tawny Eagle Aquila rapax. Six species of owls are protected in this IBA.
Kori Bustard Ardeotis kori is common along both the Auob and Nossob riverbeds, and Ludwig's Bustard Neotis ludwigii occurs relatively frequently in summer. This IBA is seasonally important for larks and sparrow-larks, including Stark's Lark Spizocorys starki and Black-eared Sparrow-Lark Eremopterix australis, particularly after good rains.
Large numbers of visiting Abdim's Stork Ciconia abdimii can be seen feeding on insects along the riverbed, while less common species such as Black Stork Ciconia nigra and Marabou Stork Leptoptilos crumeniferus may be found in limited numbers near waterholes. The introduction of permanent water in this IBA has probably artificially increased the number and species composition of water-dependent birds such as doves, Namaqua Sandgrouse Pterocles namaqua and Burchell's Sandgrouse P. burchelli. As a result, Lanner Falcon Falco biarmicus and Gabar Goshawk Melierax gabar are likely to be more common around the waterholes due to the greater availability of birds as a food source there.
IBA trigger species:
Globally threatened birds are White-backed Vulture (46 breeding pairs; M. Whittington pers. comm.), Lappet-faced Vulture, White-headed Vulture, Secretarybird Sagittarius serpentarius (four breeding pairs; M. Whittington pers. comm.), Martial Eagle (six breeding pairs; M. Whittington pers. comm.), Kori Bustard, Ludwig's Bustard and Lanner Falcon (80–100 breeding pairs; M. Whittington pers. comm.). Regionally threatened birds are Tawny Eagle (24 breeding pairs; M. Whittington pers. comm.) and Karoo Korhaan Eupodotis vigorsii. Range- and biome-restricted birds include Stark's Lark, Kalahari Scrub Robin Cercotrichas paena, Sociable Weaver Philetairus socius, Burchell's Sandgrouse, Barred Wren-Warbler Calamonastes fasciolatus, Pale-winged Starling Onychognathus nabourou and Burchell's Starling Lamprotornis australis.
The major biodiversity characteristic of this IBA is that it is an arid ecosystem populated by large migratory and nomadic herbivores. As such it supports a fully functional large carnivore predator/prey system and is an important refuge for a large raptor community. The park has important populations of lion Panthera leo, leopard P. pardus, cheetah Acinonyx jubatus, brown hyaena Hyaena brunnea, spotted hyaena Crocuta crocuta, African wild cat Felis lybica, aardwolf Proteles cristatus, aardvark Orycteropus afer, honey badger Mellivora capensis and pangolin Manis temminckii.
The characteristic tree species – camel thorn, grey camel thorn Vachellia (formerly Acacia) haematoxylon and shepherd's tree Boscia albitrunca – are protected under the National Forestry Act. The camel thorn is regarded as a keystone species and the survival of many animal and plant species depend on it.
The Gariep blind legless skink Acontias gariepensis is almost restricted to the park. The southern African endemic dwarf beaked snake Dipsina multimaculata, Kalahari spade-snouted worm lizard Monopeltis leonhardi, spotted desert lizard Meroles suborbitalis, Kalahari ground gecko Colopus wahlbergii and Woosnam's desert rat Zelotomys woosnami are all common within the park.
This IBA is well managed, with far fewer threats than the surrounding landscape. The major threats that do exist are climate change; the slow pace at which the contractual land development with the local community is moving and associated land-use conflicts; the scarcity of fresh water; and the high petrol price, which will have an effect on visitor numbers. There is also a lack of funds for tourism management and development.
Predictions on climate change for South Africa state that temperatures will increase and rainfall decrease sharply in arid areas. Not only is the highest level of warming predicted for the Kalahari Desert, but a decrease in rainfall and an increase in the frequency of severe weather are expected to be major effects of climate change in the region, potentially placing many species at risk. Temperatures in most South African parks have increased between 1 and 1.5 oC over the past 50 years. This IBA now experiences 36 more days a year above 35 oC than it did 50 years ago. Large, mainly resident and territorial birds dependent on rainfall are vulnerable to climate change, and certain behavioural traits, such as extended parental care and slow reproductive rates, are likely to increase their vulnerability. These species would include territorial eagles, such as Tawny Eagle and Martial Eagle.
Historically, poisons were used extensively in the region to control damage-causing predators, such as black-backed jackal Canis mesomelas and caracal Caracal caracal. Poisoning incidents involving Bateleurs and White-backed Vultures have been recorded in this IBA, and the breeding failure in 1990 of the largest White-backed Vulture colony in the park was attributed to poisoning. The inadvertent poisoning of Secretarybirds is also suspected. Poisons may still be used in neighbouring small-livestock farming areas, but at a lower level than previously.
This IBA is a formally protected national park, established in 1931. It is an integral part of the Kgalagadi Transfrontier Park, which was officially opened in 2000 but had been in existence since 1948 through a verbal agreement between the South African and Botswanan conservation authorities. The area represents a large ecosystem relatively free of human influence.
In 1999 the Khomani San community won a land claim over 25 000 ha of the park. A joint management plan between the community and SANPArks exists for the Ae!Hai Kalahari Heritage Contractual Park.
Since the 1930s a total of 88 waterholes and a number of excavation dams on pans have been constructed within the park. The erection of permanent waterholes was motivated by the observation that increased human activity to the south and west of the park was apparently hindering the migratory movements of the indigenous ungulates; by the later fencing of some borders; and by the erroneous perception that the wildlife needed drinking water. Historically, vultures and raptors drowned in the water reservoirs. Poles or ladders were fitted into the reservoirs to enable raptors to escape from them and raptor drownings are now a rare occurrence. The monitoring of certain raptor species was reinstated by the EWT's Birds of Prey Programme Kalahari Raptor project in 2010.
Contact:If you have any information about the IBA, such as a new threat that could impact on it, please send an e-mail to
or call BirdLife South Africa +27 (11) 789 1122.
Page last updated:Monday, 02 February 2015
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