The slender mongoose (Galerella swalius) and the rock mouse (Petromyscus shortridgei) are restricted to the Namaland escarpment. 1998). Parkinsonia africana, Acacia nebrownii, Boscia foetida, B. albitrunca, and Catophractes alexandri as well as smaller karoo bushes such as Pentzia spp. Summer temperatures in the area can reach 40 °C (104 °F), and frosts are common in the winter. 2," which originally covered 80,000 km2 and was the largest nature reserve in the world. This vegetation type extends eastwards into the Kalahari Xeric Savanna ecoregion. The Fish River, one of Namibia’s longest rivers, begins in the Naukluft Mountains southwest of Windhoek and winds its way south for 800 km before flowing into the Orange River. ZIP-Archive contains: Portable Map File - PMF, (to view use: ArcReader) SHAPE-Format GIS-Data; Meta-Data; JPEG-Image Fairy circles are circular patches of land barren of plants, varying between 2 and 15 metres (7 and 49 ft) in diameter, often encircled by a ring of stimulated growth of grass. brandbergensis) (Nordenstam 1974). While bush encroachment has benefited these species, it leads to a reduction in diversity and is therefore not seen as positive for conservation within the ecoregion. The Bushveld area has been demarcated by the World Wildlife Fund as part of the Angolan mopane woodlands ecoregion, which extends north across the Cunene River into neighbouring Angola. total: Most of the rivers in Namibia have their major watersheds in this highland (Barnard 1998). Other well-defined species include Acacia robynsiana, Balanites welwitschii, and Petalidium spp. The reason behind this high productivity and endemism may be the relatively stable nature of precipitation. A small portion of the Namib-Naukluft National Park extends into the ecoregion to include the Naukluft Mountains (southwest of Windhoek) (Stuart and Stuart 1992). Objectives of the vegetation survey project: (i) To update and refine the preliminary vegetation map of Namibia (Giess 1971) to a scale of 1:1 000 000. Ceraria longipedunculata is typical of the mountainous areas to the west of the mopane savanna. Furthermore, its descriptions of Namibian vegetation types are very basic. Covering some 22 270 square kilometres of dramatic landscapes in northern Namibia, Etosha is home to a rich diversity of wildlife and birds, despite its stark appearance. Vegetation Survey of Namibia. The Khomas region contains Namibia’s second highest mountain, the Auasberg, at 2,479 m, and it is in a transitional arid region, representing ideal conditions for speciation of desert plants. Presently there are only two small protected areas: the Damaraland Wilderness Reserve (1,600 km2) and the Brandberg National Monument (Stuart and Stuart 1992). Joubert, E., and P. K. N. Mostert. The country has a great mix of desert, semi- desert and savannahs. It is also one of the few countries where animals still roam freely mostly unrestricted by human influence. Although game farms are sometimes intensively managed to promote selected game species, using fire and chemical control of woody vegetation, their biodiversity conservation value is perceived to be higher than that of livestock farming (Barnard et al. Towards the south, the ecoregion broadens to include the rocky central plateau. [7] The Karoo apparently does not experience drought on a regular basis, so even though the area is technically desert, regular winter rains provide enough moisture to support the region’s interesting plant community. This map gives only 14 broad units, comparable to biomes, with a short narrative description and a couple of photographs for each unit. Branch, B. In the north near the border with Angola there is a flat area that has been designated by the World Wildlife Fund as part of the Angolan mopane woodlands ecoregion. 37 Full PDFs related to this paper. Poor land management through overstocking has led to soil erosion, loss of grass species diversity, and bush encroachment. Königstein 2,573 m, Natural resources: Otherwise, surface water is restricted to a few large storage dams retaining and damming up these seasonal floods and their runoff. Mean minimum monthly temperatures drop to -9°C in places, and absolute readings are even lower. prolonged periods of drought, Environment - current issues: permanent crops: The preliminary vegetation map of Namibia is regarded as relatively accurate as far as the delineation of vegetation types is concerned, but some anomalies have been found. The Great Escarpment swiftly rises to over 2,000 metres (6,562 ft). Ben Strohbach. In situ conservation in Namibia: the role of national parks and nature reserves. 1978. With this in mind, a project was launched to map and properly describe the vegetation of Namibia in the late 1990s (Strohbach, 2001). There are some private nature reserves and game farms in the area. Iterative selection procedures: centres of endemism and optimal placement of reserves. PDF. (ii) To classify and describe the veld types of Namibia. The Central Plateau runs from north to south, bordered by the Skeleton Coast to the northwest, the Namib Desert and its coastal plains to the southwest, the Orange River to the south, and the Kalahari Desert to the east. The high altitude of this isolated relict inselberg and the cool, moist conditions at its summit could explain the high level of endemism found in this region. The Kaoko Escarpment that makes up this ecoregion has the highest level of avian diversity in Namibia, with 297 bird species recorded to date. The IUCN 2000 Red List of threatened species. As the area behind the coast is a desert, these winds can develop into sand storms with sand deposits in the Atlantic Ocean visible on satellite images. One of the best venues for star gazing is the Gamsberg, Namibia’s largest table mountain, with a 2.5 km long and 800 m wide plateau. The proximity of the Skeleton Coast Park and Etosha Park offers considerable benefits to rural communities, making ecotourism and conservancy management an attractive land-use option. Plant poaching by collectors of succulent species is impacting the flora of the ecoregion. [13] In winter, occasionally a condition known as Berg wind or Oosweer (Afrikaans: East weather) occurs, a hot dry wind blowing from the inland to the coast. Hoffman / Science of the Total Environment 416 (2012) 276–288 277. Volk and Leippert (1971) first mentioned the Acacietea as a syntaxonomic class, describing it as vegetation dominated by various Acacia trees and shrubs in central Namibia with outliers in Zimbabwe and Botswana. Lovegrove, B. Half man – half plant. [12] Humidity is low, and average rainfall varies from almost zero in the coastal desert to more than 600 mm in the Caprivi Strip. The area receives a significantly greater amount of precipitation than the rest of the country, averaging around 400 mm (15.7 in) per year. Premium PDF Package. This paper. Free PDF. For example, the Brandberg thick-toed gecko (Pachydactylus gaiasensis) is restricted to the Brandberg (Branch 1998). The Bushveld is found in north eastern Namibia along the Angolan border and in the Caprivi Strip which is the vestige of a narrow corridor demarcated for the German Empire to access the Zambezi River. Although the area is rocky with poorly developed soils, it is nonetheless significantly more productive than the Namib Desert. Endemism in Namibia: patterns, process and predictions. Rainfall is however highly variable, and droughts are common. note: suspected deposits of oil, coal, and iron ore, Land use: party to: In many areas within the Namib Desert, there is little vegetation with the exception of lichens found in the gravel plains, and in dry river beds where plants can access subterranean water. Other large mammal species found within the ecoregion are kudu (Tragelaphus strepsiceros LR), springbok (Antidorcas marsupialis LR), gemsbok (Oryx gazella LR), Damara dik-diks (Madoqua kirkii), and black-faced impala (Aepyceros melampus petersi VU). Hilton-Taylor, C. compiler. Du Plessis, W. 1992. In the western part, towards the Kaokoveld Desert, the mopane is confined to depressions and riverbeds where it often grows together with Balanites welwitschii. UNESCO, Paris. Many of the species do not have sufficient data to evaluate them and place them into categories. vegetation maps provide only a name of the vegetation unit, in combination with a spatial description – mostly in the form of a polygon on a map. 1998). This enormous park allowed for the westward seasonal migration of elephants, lions and other mammals as far as the Atlantic Ocean. The Nature Conservation Amendment Act of 1992 extends similar fundamental rights to people living in communal areas, with the hope that rural dwellers will realize the value of wildlife and manage it sustainably. Maggs, G. L., P. Craven, and H. H. Kolberg. Windhoek, the nation’s capital, is located here, as well as most of the arable land. Zoom into the areas and then the lodges on our maps for some really amazing views of what the country is really like! Two of the most striking plants of the Brandberg Mountain are the Brandberg acacia (Acacia montis-usti) and the Brandberg euphorbia (Euphorbia monteiroi subsp. [14] Very low rainfall were recorded in 2019. The first research objective is thus: to map the vegetation types in Namibia using SPOT VGT NDVI data of 15 years. Only two amphibians are considered endemic to the ecoregion, the Okahandja toad (Bufo hoeschi) and the Mossamedes toad (B. grandisonae). Due to areas of differing rainfalls and soils, there is a variety of plants from the desert and semi desert vegetation to the subtropical species, but most of the country is … There are 68 endemic plants in this region (Simmons et al. Conservancies are jointly managed for resource conservation by multiple landowners with financial and other benefits shared among them. Average temperatures and temperature ranges increase as you move further inland from the cold Atlantic waters, while the lingering coastal fogs slowly diminish. The coastal plains are dune fields, gravel plains covered with lichen and some scattered salt pans. Windhoek is located on the semi-arid central plateau at 1,700m/5,577ft, and most parks are located around 1,000m/3,280ft and lower. [5] The water, along with rapidly changing topography, is responsible for the creation of microhabitats which offer a wide range of organisms, many of them endemic. with succulent stems, Adenolobus spp., the quiver tree (Aloe dichotoma), and Moringa ovalifolia. 1998). At 825,615 km 2 (318,772 sq mi), Namibia is the world's thirty-fourth largest country (after Venezuela). Other forms of protection, such as conservancies, private nature reserves and game farms add largely to the current protection of the area. Namibia is a very diverse country with an array of habitats and vegetation. Because Namibia is mostly arid, much of the flora is typical African dryland vegetation: scrub brush and succulents, such as euphorbia. Download Full PDF Package. Vegetation Survey of Namibia. This was a period of corruption and widespread poaching. Climate map of Namibia climate in Namibia Arid and semi-arid Namibia: Virtually nonexistent on the coast, shows dense vegetation to the north and tropical arid or semi-desert, in the rest of the country, with thorny. Finally, the Kalahari sandveld stretches southeast from the central plateau, with deep sands overlaying bedrock. 1994). One of these areas, known as the Succulent Karoo, is home to over 5,000 species of plants, nearly half of them endemic; fully one-third of the world’s succulents are found in the Karoo. The highest point is Mount Koenigstein (2636 m) in the massive Brandberg. A study by Sullivan and Konstant (1997) carried out in the Kunene region to the north of this ecoregion shows that communal farming has a negative effect on the vegetation through overgrazing, browsing and cutting for firewood. grassland, shrubland and woodland). Key Facts. The worst floods so far[update] occurred in March 2011 and displaced 21,000 people.[24]. 1975. It is also one of the few countries where animals still roam freely mostly unrestricted by human influence. Field Guide to the Snakes and Other Reptiles of Southern Africa. View our inclusive approach to conservation. This is predominantly an agricultural region in which mahangu is cultivated successfully. Rhigozum trichotomum is a very characteristic shrub of this vegetation type. Two species of Acacia are confined to this vegetation type; these are the Brandberg acacia (Acacia montis-ustii) and A. robynsiana. 1% (2018) 564,748 km2 (218,050 sq mi) and 200 nmi (370.4 km; 230.2 mi). The mean maximum monthly air temperature can exceed 40°C (Lovegrove 1993). The ecoregion is a transition zone between the low-lying desert and the central highland plateau. Giess (1971) compiled a preliminary vegetation map of Namibia, in which, the Brandberg is shown to lie within the Semi-desert and Savanna transitional zone. The outline map of Namibia reresents mainland Namibia, a Southern African nation. [19] An aquifer called "Ohangwena II", located on both sides of the Angola-Namibia border, was discovered in 2012. In general Namibia’s climate can be described as hot and dry, substantial fluctuations during the seasons or even within one day are typical. Windhoek Hosea Kutako International Airport, "NACOMA - Namibian Coast Conservation and Management Project", "Namibia's Coastal and Marine Development Potential – Sparks 83 (333): 477 – African Affairs", "Climate change forces us to recognise new normals", "Understanding Weather - not predicting it", "Vast aquifer found in Namibia could last for centuries", "Debilitating floods hit northern and central Namibia", https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Geography_of_Namibia&oldid=1010389898, Articles containing potentially dated statements from June 2011, All articles containing potentially dated statements, Articles containing potentially dated statements from 2012, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, Northernmost point - unnamed location on the border with. Donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law. On rocky ridges, the conspicuous quiver tree becomes very abundant. The Vegetation Survey Project of Namibia coupled with the BIOTA southern Africa Project therefore share a common goal of re-classifying Namibian vegetation by building on the Preliminary Vegetation Map of Namibia of 1971 and the Homogenous Framing Areas Report of 1979. Griffin, M. 1998. Download PDF. Download. Vegetation map of the study area. 44% (2018), Irrigated land: In 1963, the Odendaal Commission of Enquiry into South West Africa Affairs re-allocated land to ethnically partitioned homelands to promote the ideology of separate development. Other important towns are: Location: At 824,292 km2 (318,261 sq mi),[1] Namibia is the world's thirty-fourth largest country. Acacia senegal and A. tortilis are also found, mainly in the alluvial sands and silts along ephemeral rivers in the ecoregion. It lies mostly between latitudes 17° and 29°S (a small area is north of 17°), and longitudes 11° and 26°E. Winter frosts are common. ), Total renewable water resources: The map below, also derived from Terra data, shows changes in the “greenness” of the landscape in February 2021 compared to the 20-year average for the month (Read more about the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index.) The change in vegetation type reflects ecological conditions forming a natural boundary between the two regions. After two years of close cooperation between staff of the Federal Institute of Geosciences and Natural Resources in Germany, the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development, the Geological Survey of Namibia and the Namibia Water Corporation, the Hydrogeological Map of Namibia has become a reality. The northern area of the escarpment, the Kaoko escarpment, is an endemism "hotspot" (an area of extremely high species richness and endemism). As summer winds are forced over the Escarpment, moisture is extracted as precipitation. However, this is expensive and such practices have been jeopardized by uncertainty about impending land reform, particularly at the time of independence in 1990 (Barnard et al. Madoqua 9(2): 35-44. The Kunene River that runs along the Angola-Namibia border is the only perennial river within the ecoregion. Founding co-compiler Philip Hoehn (1996-2009). At present the only undisputed vegetation map of Namibia is the map published in 1971 by Giess. This plateau lies above and east of the escarpment, between about 1,000 m and 2,000 m. It is stony and flat in places, and it is dramatically mountainous in others. This is a list of the extreme points of Namibia, the points that are farther north, south, east or west than any other location. They occur on private and communal (tribal) land. The formation of conservancies has been stimulated by the government’s recent policy to return resource management rights to conservancy committees with an approved constitution (Barnard et al. 1998). [15] Due to the dry winters snowfall has a very rare occurrence and prompts media coverage whenever it happens. The Kaoko Escarpment in the northern part of this ecoregion is an endemism hotspot, and it also has immense value in both cultural and scenic wilderness terms. border countries: agricultural land: Guide to Southern African Game and Nature Reserves. The ecoregion has many interesting, well-defined species that are taxonomically isolated, for example, the monotypic genera Phlyctidocarpa and Kaokochloa (Poaceae) (Maggs et al. Etosha National Park is Namibia's top game-viewing destination and rated as one of the best safari destinations in Africa. Antarctic-Marine Living Resources, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Ozone Layer Protection, Wetlands. Other components of the mopane savanna are two species of Sosamothamnus. Most of the avifauna is restricted to the rocky habitats of the ecoregion and is found at elevations of between 600 m and 1,200 m. Five birds are endemic or near-endemic to this ecoregion: including the Karoo chat (Cercomela schlegelii), tractrac chat (Cercomela tractrac), greybacked cisticola (Cisticola subruficapillus), and the herero chat (Namibornis herero). PDF. A number of Acacia species are found here, as well as grasses and other shrub vegetation. The welwitschia may be one of Namibia’s most famous plant but this desert country has many other botanical enigmas to show for itself. 1998). A short summary of this paper. Numbers show locations of Figs. Griffin, M. 1998. Strelitzia 1. The ecoregion extends from near the town of Sumbe in western Angola down through Namibia, with the southern boundary located just north of Groot Karas Berg. The prevailing south west winds then pick up and redeposit the sand in the form of massive dunes in the widespread sand sea, the largest sand dunes in the world. Botanical Diversity in Southern Africa. With an average rainfall of about 350 mm (14 in) per annum, the highest rainfall occurs in the Caprivi in the northeast (about 600 mm (24 in) per annum) and decreases in a westerly and southwesterly direction to as little as 50 mm (2 in) and less per annum at the coast. Original title of website: Checklist of Online Vegetation and Plant Distribution Maps Compiled by Claire Englander (1996-2013). A preliminary vegetation map of South West Africa. Terrain: With the presently ongoing ‘Vegetation Survey of Namibia’ project, an attempt is made to provide as much useful information per vegetation type as possible. Prepared by: Amy SpriggsReviewed by: In progress, 1250 24th Street, N.W. In areas where the supply of sand is reduced because of the inability of the sand to cross riverbeds, the winds also scour the land to form large gravel plains. 1975. [2] Within the wide, flat Central Plateau is the majority of Namibia’s population and economic activity. Since this map was produced a number of small study areas, mostly game reserves, have been mapped in detail. Due to the low population density, the very low air pollution and the virtually non-existing light pollution Namibia offers ideal conditions to explore the southern night sky. Biological Diversity in Namibia. A preliminary vegetation map of South West Africa. The Acacietea. [20] Experts estimate that Namibia has 7,720 km3 (1,850 cu mi) of underground water. Where people do not live near perennial rivers or make use of the storage dams, they are dependent on groundwater. Download Free PDF. Current StatusNamibia’s recent biodiversity assessment (Barnard 1998) identified priority conservation areas in the country. 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi) Shared with South Africa and Botswana, it has a variety of localised environments ranging from hyper-arid sandy desert, to areas that seem to defy the common definition of desert. Lastly, the Namaland escarpment has recently become a popular destination for off-road enthusiasts. Even isolated communities and those economic activities located far from good surface water sources, such as mining, agriculture, and tourism, can be supplied from groundwater over nearly 80% of the country. One third of these boreholes have been drilled dry. Rebelo, A. G. 1994. As sand-laden waters drop their suspended loads into the Atlantic, onshore currents deposit them along the shore. total: 1993. The Namib Desert, from which the country has derived its name, borders the Atlantic coast and covers a length of 2000 km from north-western South Africa all the way to Angola. Rainfall in this ecoregion is low. Tufted grasses, mainly Stipagrostis spp., are found scattered between the woody plants. The mopane savanna extends as far south as the vicinity of the Brandberg; it then grades into the semi-desert and savanna transition zone. lowest point: Madoqua 9(1): 8-22. Southern Africa, bordering the South Atlantic Ocean, between Angola and South Africa, Geographic coordinates: The Namib Desert is a broad expanse of hyper-arid gravel, gravel with no moisture, plains and dunes that stretches along the entire coastline, which varies in width between 100 and many hundreds of kilometres. One is the Sperregebiet region, located in the southwest of the country in the Succulent Karoo ecoregion, and the second is the Kaoko Escarpment in the far northwest (Simmons et al. mean elevation: 1,414 m The outline map of Namibia reresents mainland Namibia, a Southern African nation. Botanical diversity in Namibia – an overview. 1998). Werger, M. J. [8], The Namib Desert and the Namib-Naukluft National Park is located here. All the near-endemic species except the Cinderella waxbill (Estrilda thomensis) are restricted to rocky habitats. exclusive economic zone: Most aim to enhance habitat for, and numbers of, game species, such as ungulates and game birds to draw income from tourism ventures (Barnard et al. World Wildlife Fund Inc. is a nonprofit, tax-exempt charitable organization (tax ID number 52-1693387) under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. 2 was reduced by 72 percent to become the present Etosha Pan National Park (with a size of 22,912 km2). The only perennial rivers are found on the national borders with South Africa, Angola, Zambia, and the short border with Botswana in the Caprivi. It is situated at the southern edge of the tropics; the Tropic of Capricorn cuts the country about in half. 24 nmi (44.4 km; 27.6 mi) Struik, Cape Town. Biogeography and Ecology of Southern Africa. depletion and degradation of water and aquatic resources; desertification; land degradation; loss of biodiversity and biotic resources; wildlife poaching, Environment - international agreements: Severe overhunting of game mammals on private land was a major threat to wildlife for the first half of the century, but this was significantly reversed in 1967 when legislation shifted the ownership of game from the state to the individual landowner. Game farming is increasing in popularity, partly because much of the area is only marginally suitable for livestock. Another interesting feature found on the map above is the Caprivi Strip, a geographic salient protruding from the country's northeastern corner. contiguous zone: 17.72 km3 (2011), Natural hazards: The Swakop and Kuiseb Rivers flow infrequently and are usually dry riverbeds. To the west of the town of Windhoek, it includes the Hochland Plateau that varies from rugged in the north (with broad valleys and inselbergs) to a flat and stony plateau dissected by deep valleys in the south. The low humidity of the area, without the cooling effect of the Benguela Current, results in extreme temperatures. Plant species richness, endemism and genetic resources in Namibia. READ PAPER. The capital and largest city, Windhoek, is in the centre of the country. Predators include lion (Panthera leo), leopard (Panthera pardus), cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus VU), bat-eared fox, (Otocyon megalotis) and Cape fox (Vulpes chama). This project is the basis for this paper. The country has a great mix of desert, semi- desert and savannahs. other: However, South Africa did not release control of the area until 1988. [21][22], Efundja, the annual flooding of the northern parts of the country, often causes not only damage to infrastructure but loss of life. The Namib is divided into the Sperrgebiet National Park, the Namib Naukluft Park, the Dorob National Park and the Skeleton Coast National Park. Elevation extremes: Game Reserve No. 1998). Namibia is the driest country in sub-Saharan Africa and depends largely on groundwater. For this purpose, the analogue vector maps were digitized. There is great variation between years, with the driest years having the least predictable rainfall.
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