usaid/nambia environmental threats and opportunities assessment

Figure 5: Namibia’s major
biomes
(Source: Mendelsohn et al. 2002)
Current rates of globall biodiversity loss are well documented; ; nevertheless, it must be noted that one of
the biggest constraints to reducing these losses is
inadequate knowledge. There are an estimated 5-10
million species of plants and animals on Earth. Of these, only 15% to 30%
are known to science. Our
limited knowledge on the biodiversity of many phyla, and ourr even more limited knowledge on the
ecologicall requirements of many described species, means that any assessment on the impacts on
Namibia’s
biodiversity
remains cursory at best.
In Namibia, the following numbers of species have been described to date: 4,350 vascular plants (17 %
endemic),
6,331 insects (24% endemic), 115 fish ( 4% endemic), 250 reptiles (24% endemic), 644 birds
(14% endemic to Southern Africa; 2% endemic to Namibia), and 217 mammals (12% endemic) . Many
of these species show unique adaptations to Namibia’s largelyy arid and variable climate.
High levels of endemism make Namibia’s wildlife unique andd interesting. The fact that this country hosts
the world’s largest remaining population of cheetah is of global importance.
Known threatened species include African elephant, pangolin, and lesser flamingo. Vulnerable species
include lion and blue crane, while African wild dog is endangered and black rhino is considered critically
endangered.
32 USAID/NAMIBIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT