Succulent Karoo Biome
Author: South African National Biodiversity Institute (SANBI)
( Article Type: Explanation )
Stretching along the Atlantic coast of Africa, from southwestern South Africa into southern Namibia, the Succulent Karoo Biome covers 116 900 square kilometres of desert. It is the most diverse semi-arid environment.
This region is an extraordinary desert that harbours a range of bulb flora richer than that of any other arid region and provides a springtime display of annual flowers. Succulent plants are hidden below the soil surface in white quartz patches. Added to this are breathtaking scenery, a huge variety of reptiles and insects, a geological paradise, and a coastal strip rich in alluvial diamonds. The Succulent Karoo has staggering levels of biodiversity and is listed as one of the world’s 34 internationally recognised biodiversity hotspots, rich in life and diversity. A combination of high levels of endemism and biodiversity means the biome is a conservation priority.
The Succulent Karoo claims its place amongst the world’s biodiversity hotspots with ease and provides great opportunities for biodiversity conservation and human development. The Succulent Karoo, like other semi-arid parts of the world, is home to some of the most vulnerable people and places in the country.
The hotspot is vulnerable to several land use pressures such as accelerated land transformation in the past 100 years due to mining, cropping, and overgrazing. Climate change is expected to impact negatively on the region’s biodiversity.
FACTS ABOUT THE SUCCULENT KAROO BIOME
• It is the only arid region recognised as a biodiversity hotspot
• It has about 6 300 plant species of which 38% are endemic
• It has 250 bird species, 78 mammal species, 132 reptiles and amphibians species
• Only 30 000 km2 (27%) of this region is still in a pristine state
• In 2001 only 3.4% was conserved in statutory reserves that protected just 10% of the 900 Red Data plant species in the region
• Dwarf leaf succulents are its unique features which occur over a 112 000 km2 area
• The diversity of succulent growth forms is greater here than anywhere else on earth, with some 40% of the world’s 6 000- odd succulent species occurring in the region
• Only 3.5% of the hotspot is formally conserved
