usaid/nambia environmental threats and opportunities assessment

Riparian forests, rivers
and other wetlands and the rich biodiversity they support are Namibia’s least
protected and most threatened habitats.
Biodiversity rich and endemic hotspots
Biodiversity is highest in northeastern Namibia (Figure 6), which not only receives the highest rainfall but also
supports perennial rivers, wetlands, and varied woodland habitats. Many species in the north are also more
tropical, with ranges that extend into neighboring countries (Botswana, Zambia, Angola, and Zimbabwe). High
diversity is
also centered
on the karstveld (Tsumeb-Otavi area).
Although biodiversity richness is concentrated in the
northeast, the majority of Namibia’s endemic species are
found in the dry western
and northwestern regions (Barnard 1998, Mendelsohn et al. 2002). The highest areas
of endemism occur east of the coastal national parks
and west of Etosha National Park, and south of eastern
Etosha via
Windhoek to
the Naukluft Mountains and
into the Sperrgebiet. Patterns of endemism reflect the
importance of arid habitats in supporting unique and specially adapted species.
Figure
6: Total biological diversity in Namibia
(Source: Mendelsohn et t al. 2002)
The State-owned parks
cover approximately 16.6% of the country. The proclamation of most of this
land occurred before the value of biodiversity conservation was fully realized and, as a result, these
protected areas are not
evenly distributed between the various landscapes, biomes, and vegetation types
in the country. Thus, while the Namib Desert and Succulent Karoo biomes have 75% and 90%
USAID/NAMIBIA ENVIRONMENTAL THREATS AND OPPORTUNITIES ASSESSMENT 33