|Central coordinates||28o 40.00' East 28o 40.00' South|
|IBA criteria||A1, A2, A3|
|Altitude||2,500 - 3,300m|
|Year of IBA assessment||2001|
Site description This site is centred on the 60–90-m-high cliffs of the Mechachaneng Ridge, which runs for c.1 km. The tributaries of the Senqu (Orange) river system have incised deeply into the basalt, creating near-vertical cliffs. The surrounding highlands support a traditional pastoral economy with a low-density population. Approximately 15% of the surrounding area (within a 25-km radius) is cultivated, the remainder being open pasture. The vegetation is primarily montane grassland. High-altitude shrubs form a heath of Erica, Chrysocoma and Helichrysum. The summits are generally rocky, with bare, shallow soil patches and rock sheets near the escarpment.
|Species||Season||Period||Population estimate||Quality of estimate||IBA Criteria||IUCN Category|
|Southern Bald Ibis Geronticus calvus||resident||-||present [units unknown]||-||A1||Vulnerable|
|Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres||resident||-||present [units unknown]||-||A1||Vulnerable|
|Ground Woodpecker Geocolaptes olivaceus||resident||-||present [units unknown]||-||A1||Least Concern|
|Layard's Warbler Sylvia layardi||resident||1998||-||-||Least Concern|
|Drakensberg Rockjumper Chaetops aurantius||resident||1998||present [units unknown]||-||A1, A2, A3||Least Concern|
|Sicklewing Chat Cercomela sinuata||resident||1998||-||-||Least Concern|
|Mountain Pipit Anthus hoeschi||resident||1998||present [units unknown]||-||A1, A2, A3||Least Concern|
|Drakensberg Siskin Serinus symonsi||resident||1998||present [units unknown]||-||A1, A2, A3||Least Concern|
|IUCN habitat||Habitat detail||Extent (% of site)|
|Artificial landscapes (terrestrial)||41%|
|Land-use||Extent (% of site)|
Other biodiversity The alpine floral communities found in the Maloti/Drakensberg mountains are unique in southern Africa, holding a remarkable number of endemic plants. A recent botanical survey of three valleys in the Maloti yielded many species that could not be identified and some may be new to science. The high-altitude streams and seepages hold the Drakensberg-endemic frog Strongylopus hymenopus.
References Allan et al. (1996), Bonde (1993), Brown (1992a,b), Donnay (1990), Jilbert (1979, 1982), Manry (1984, 1985a,b), Meakins et al. (1988), Mendelsohn (1984), Osborne and Tigar (1989, 1990, 1992a,b).
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Recommended citation BirdLife International (2013) Important Bird Areas factsheet: Liqobong. Downloaded from http://www.birdlife.org on 13/12/2013
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