The Succulent Karoo

In a global effort to prioritise funding needs for areas of greatest importance for biodiversity conservation and experiencing the greatest threats, 25 global biodiversity hotspots were identified in 2000. The Succulent Karoo is one of these biodiversity hotspots.

The Succulent Karoo Biome within the boundaries of Namibia falls into four basic land use classes:

The protected areas consist of: (i) the formally proclaimed Ai-Ais Hot Springs Game Park (which includes the Fish River Canyon and the Huns Mountains) and (ii) the Sperrgebiet, an area that has been out of bounds to most people in an effort to control the diamond deposits along the coast and the Orange River. A new, visionary, multi-sectoral approach to the proclamation of the Sperrgebiet has been approved by Namibia's Cabinet, and is being developed in conjunction with various role players in the region, such as the mining sector and Regional Government. The process started with the production of the Sperrgebiet Land Use Plan in 2001, followed by a more detailed conservation planning study in 2002.

Commercial farming on freehold land in the area is not successful or sustainable in the long-term because of the arid to hyper-arid conditions, and a number of farms are uninhabited because the owners have left to find work in the towns. A number of these landowners are moving towards tourism and indigenous biodiversity, such as wildlife which, if managed correctly, is far more sustainable, creates more jobs and earns greater returns, both to the land-owners and the national economy. This provides an opportunity for the protection of the Succulent Karoo on freehold land in the future.

Communal land is often densely stocked with livestock and throughout most of the region overgrazing is evident. The Ministry of Environment and Tourism's (MET) conservancy programme is designed to assist communities to upgrade their subsistence existence to a more sustainable land use by encouraging the protection and sustainable utilisation of natural resources in both a consumptive and non-consumptive manner. Community-based tourism is an important part of this programme. The conservancy programme is run in conjunction with the MET and various NGOs.

With the proclamation of the Sperrgebiet as a National Park, approved by cabinet on 22 April 2004, and the formalisation of the Ai-Ais/Richtersveld Transfrontier Park, more than 3 million ha of Succulent-Karoo now fall within protected areas in Namibia. As some freehold farms move towards wildlife and tourism land-use ventures, and conservancy programmes are emerging, there is enormous potential for the protection and sustainable use of large portions of the Succulent Karoo Ecosystem within Namibia.

The Sperrgebiet - a geographic priority for biodiversity conservation

For almost 100 years, a 26 000 km² piece of land in south-western Namibia has been closed to the citizens of Namibia and the rest of the world. Following the discovery of Namibia's first diamond near Kolmanskop in 1908, sole prospecting and mining rights were granted over an area stretching from the Orange River in the south, to just north of Lüderitz (about 300 km) and extending 100 km inland from the coast. Although diamond mining was confined to narrow strips along the coast and Orange River, general public access to the entire license area was prohibited except under a special permit.

Years of diamond related security has provided de facto preservation to much of the area, and today the majority of the Sperrgebiet is a pristine desert wilderness. Recently, large parts of the Sperrgebiet were de-proclaimed from exclusive diamond prospecting and mining licenses and the land has reverted to the status of un-proclaimed state land.

The Sperrgebiet lies within the Succulent Karoo Biome, which is globally recognised as an outstanding hotspot of unique biodiversity. Because of the fact that the area was off limits to most people, and for so many years, there have been very few scientific surveys. The SKEP project aims to rectify this situation, by identifying and prioritising conservation needs within the whole Succulent Karoo Biome Succulent Karoo Biome and, in particular, in the Sperrgebiet.

Sperrgebiet is of extraordinarily high value in terms of biodiversity and tourism. The area forms one of the last major refuges for red data mammals. Over 1 000 plant species occur in the area, of which some 130 species (13 %) are endemic to the Sperrgebiet. We expect this high plant endemism to be correlated with high insect endemism. More than nine lichen species, all highly fog-dependent, are found there. The area also has fascinating and impressive fossil deposits dating from the Cretaceous period about 85 million years ago .

Pressures on Biodiversity

Most of the region is used as communal or commercial grazing. Although this land use can be compatible with maintaining biodiversity, overgrazing has severely degraded nearly two thirds of this area. The recent expansion of the ostrich farming industry has devastated large parts of the Little Karoo and is likely to pose a greater threat in the future. Mining and agricultural activities along corridors have also had a significant impact on the region and are likely to expand in the future. Succulent species are highly prized by collectors and are threatened by illegal collection and trade. Invasive alien species pose yet another threat to many areas of the Succulent Karoo.

Existing traditional conservation areas have become islands that do not include a range of climate and environmental conditions to allow plants and animals to move in response to seasonal and long- term climatic changes. This is particularly critical in the Succulent Karoo, where species are already experiencing the impact of human-induced climatic change. As a result of existing pressures, 936 plant species, 17 % of the total that occur in the Succulent Karoo, are already threatened.

However, there are viable solutions that can maintain biodiversity while at the same time promoting sustainable development. SKEP is one of the forums committed to support finding these solutions and implementing appropriate actions.

Grants

CEPF has funded projects in the Succulent Karoo in 2003, 2004 and 2005.

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