The Important Bird and Biodiveristy Areas (IBA) Programme is a BirdLife International Programme to conserve habitats that are important for birds. These areas are defined according to a strict set of guidelines and criteria based on the species that occur in the area. The Important Bird Areas of

Southern Africa directory was first published 1998 and identified within

South Africa 122 IBAs. In September 2015 a revised IBA Directory was

published by BirdLife South Africa. All these IBAs were objectively

determined using established and globally accepted criteria. An IBA is

selected on the presence of the following bird species in a geographic area:

• Bird species of global or regional conservation concern;

• Assemblages of restricted-range bird species; \

• Assemblages of biome-restricted bird species; and • Concentrations of numbers of congregatory bird species.

For more information see: http://www.birdlife.org.za/conservation/importantbird-areas/documents-and-downloads