Abstract
Namibia is a floristically diverse, arid to mesic country, with several highly distinct taxa. Including naturalized plants, there are about 4334 vascular plant species and infraspecific taxa within the country's borders, a substantial increase from the existing major reference work. Dominant families are the Poaceae (422species), Fabaceae (377), Asteraceae (385) and Mesembryanthemaceae (177). Freshwater algae and most other groups of lower plants remain poorly known. Concentrations of plant species richness are found in the Succulent Karoo biome, Kaokoveld, Otavi highland/Karstveld area, Okavango Basin, and Khomas highlands. Recent studies have led to a new estimate of 687 endemic plant species, defined as those contained wholly within Namibia's borders, amounting to about 17% of the Namibian flora. At least a further 275 species are Namib Desert endemics shared between the Kaokoveld and southern Angola (75spp.) and between the Succulent Karoo and northwestern South Africa (200spp.). Research on plant genetic resources is focused on species of potential or actual agricultural importance, such as pearl millet, Pennisetum glaucum, and cucurbits. Many wild plants have considerable genetic diversity and development potential. Primary threats to plant diversity fall in the category of poor land management and inappropriate development.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Apa Rao, S., Bidinger, F.R., Mengesha, M.H., Reddy, K.N., Monyo, E.S. and Lehner, W. (1994) Collection and evaluation of pearl millet germplasm from Namibia. Unpublished manuscript, Windhoek: National Plant Genetic Resources Centre library.
Arnold, T.H. (1983) Comments on primitive South African crop sorghums and the evolution of sorghum races in Africa. Bothalia 14, 587–94.
Arnold, T.H. and de Wet, B.C. (1993) Plants of southern Africa: names and distribution. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Afr. 62, 1–825.
Barnard, P., Brown, C.J., Jarvis, A.M., Robertson, A. and van Rooyen, L. (1998) Extending the Namibian protected area network to safeguard hotspots of endemism and diversity. Biodiv. Conser. 7, 531.
Cowling, R.M. and Hilton-Taylor, C. (1994) Patterns of plant diversity and endemism in southern Africa: an overview. In Botanical Diversity in Southern Africa (B.J. Huntley, ed.). Strelitzia 1, 31–52.
Cowling, R.M., Gibbs Russell, G.E., Hoffmann, M.T. and Hilton-Taylor, C. (1989) Patterns of plant species diversity in southern Africa. In Biotic Diversity in Southern Africa, Concepts and Conservation (B.J. Huntley, ed.) pp. 19–50. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.
Cunningham, A.B. (1994) Combining skills: participatory approaches in biodiversity conservation. In Botanical Diversity in Southern Africa (B.J. Huntley, ed.). Strelitzia 1, 149–67.
De Wet, J.M.J., Harlan, J.R. and Price, E.G. (1976) Variability in Sorghum bicolor. In Origins of African Plant Domestication (J.R. Harlan, J.M.J. De Wet and A.B. Stemmler, eds) pp. 453–63. The Hague: Mouton Publishers.
De Winter, B. (1971) Floristic relationships between the northern and southern arid areas of Africa. Mitt. Bot. Staatssamml. München 10, 424–37.
Du Plessis, W. (1992) In situ conservation in Namibia: the role of national parks and nature reserves. Dinteria 22, 132–41.
Esquinas-Alcazar, J.T. and Gullick, P.J. (1983) Genetic resources of Cucurbitaceae. Rome: International Board for Plant Genetic Resources, p. 11.
Ford-Lloyd, B.V. and Newbury, H.J. (1994) New methods for detecting variation in plant germ-plasm. Anadolu (Journal of AARI) 4, 94–8.
Gibbs Russell, G.E. (1985) Analysis of the size and composition of the southern African flora. Bothalia 15, 613–29.
Gibbs Russell, G.E. and staff of the National Herbarium (1984a) List of species of southern African plants. Mem. Bot. Surv. S. Afr. 48, 1–144.
Gibbs Russell, G.E., Retief, E. and Smook, L. (1984b) Intensity of plant collecting in southern Africa. Bothalia 15, 131–8.
Giess, W. (1971) A preliminary vegetation map of South West Africa. Dinteria 4, 5–114.
Goldblatt, P. (1978) An analysis of the flora of southern Africa: its characteristics, relationships and origins. Ann. Missouri Bot. Gard. 65, 369–436.
Hall, A.V., de Winter, M., de Winter, B. and van Oosterhout, S.A.M. (1980) Threatened plants of southern Africa. S. Afr. Natl. Sci. Progr. Rep. 45, 1–244. Pretoria: Council for Scientific and Industrial Research.
Harlan, J.R. (1973) Genetic resources of some major field crops in Africa. In Survey of Crop Genetic Resources in their Centres of Diversity (O.H. Frankel, ed.) pp. 45–64. Rome: FAO/International Council of Scientific Unions (IBP).
Harlan, J.R. (1975) Geographic patterns of variation in some cultivated plants. J. Hered. 66, 184–91.
Harlan, J.R. and Stemmler, A. (1976) The races of Sorghum in Africa. In Origins of Plant Domestication (J.R. Harlan, J.M.J. De Wet and A.B. Stemmler, eds) pp. 465–78. The Hague: Mouton Publishers.
Hawkes, J.G. (1983) The Diversity of Crop Plants, pp. 47–73. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press.
Hilton-Taylor, C. (1994a) Karoo-Namib region: western Cape domain (Succulent Karoo). In Centres of Plant Diversity: a Guide and Strategy for their Conservation (S.D. Davis and V.H. Heywood, eds). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hilton-Taylor, C. (1994b) Karoo-Namib region: Kaokoveld. In Centres of Plant Diversity: a Guide and Strategy for their Conservation (S.D. Davis and V.H. Heywood, eds). Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Hilton-Taylor, C. (1996) Red data list of southern African plants. Strelitzia 4, 1–117.
Kingdon, J. (1990) Island Africa: the Evolution of Africa’s Rare Animals and Plants. London: Collins.
Kolberg, H.H. (1997) Genetic diversity knowledge and research needs in Namibia: wild plants. In Biological Diversity in Namibia: a Country Study (P. Barnard, ed.). Windhoek: Ministry of Environment and Tourism/National Biodiversity Task Force.
Kolberg, H.H., Giess, W., Müller, M.A.N. and Strohbach, B. (1992) List of Namibian plant species. Dinteria 22, 1–121.
Lechner, W.R. (1992) An outline of pearl millet research in Namibia. In Proceedings of the First National Workshop on Plant Genetic Resources (G.L. Maggs and B. Strohbach, eds), Swakopmund, 1991. Dinteria 23, 1–157.
Maggs, G.L. and Strohbach, B. (1992) Proceedings of the First National Workshop on Plant Genetic Resources, Swakopmund, November 1991. Dinteria 23, 1–157.
Maggs, G.L., Kolberg, H.H. and Hines, C.J.H. (1994) Botanical diversity in Namibia-an overview. In Botanical Diversity in Southern Africa (B.J. Huntley, ed.). Strelitzia 1, 93–104.
Major, J. (1998) Endemism: a botanical perspective. In Analytical Biogeography: an Integrated Approach to the Study of Animal and Plant Distributions (A.A. Myers and P.S. Giller, eds). London: Chapman and Hall.
MAWRD (1993) Progress report 1992-93, Subdivision of Plant Production Research. Windhoek: Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development, pp. 38–41.
MAWRD (1994) Progress report 1993-94, Subdivision of Plant Production Research. Windhoek: Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Rural Development, pp. 21–25.
Merxmüller, H. (ed.) (1966-1972) Prodromus einer Flora von Südwestafrika. Lehre: J. Cramer.
Monyo, E.S., Bidinger, F.R., Ipinge, S.A. and Lechner, W.R. (1992) Varietal improvement. Genetic diversification. SADC/ICRISAT Southern Africa Programmes Annual Report 1992, pp. 31–33.
Newbury, H.J. and Ford-Lloyd, B.V. (1993) The use of RAPD for assessing variation in plants. Plant Growth Reg. 12, 43–51.
Newton, D.J. and Bodasing, A. (1994) TRAFFIC, wildlife trade monitoring and the South African plant trade. In Botanical Diversity in Southern Africa (B.J. Huntley, ed.). Strelitzia 1, 319–28.
Nordenstam, B. (1974) The flora of the Brandberg. Dinteria 11, 2–67.
Pallett, J. (ed.) (1995) The Sperrgebiet: Namibia’s Least Known Wilderness. Windhoek: Desert Research Foundation of Namibia and NAMDEB.
Perold, S.M. (1991) A taxonomic revision of the Ricciaceae Reichenb. (Marchantiales: Hepaticae) in southern Africa. PhD thesis, University of Pretoria, South Africa.
Quan, J., Barton, D. and Conroy, C. (1994) A preliminary assessment of the economic impact of desertification in Namibia. Res. Discussion Pap. 3, 1–148. Windhoek: Directorate of Environmental Affairs.
Rebelo, A.G. (1994) Iterative selection procedures: centres of endemism and optimal placement of reserves. In Botanical Diversity in Southern Africa (B.J. Huntley, ed.). Strelitzia 1, 231–57.
Richardson, J., Ashley, C., Barnes J.I., Patching, N. and La Franchi, C. (1997) The economics of biodiversity conservation in Namibia. In Biological Diversity in Namibia: a Country Study (P. Barnard, ed.). Windhoek: Ministry of Environment and Tourism/National Biodiversity Task Force.
Russell, S. and van Rooy, J. (1988) The bryoflora of Namibia. Monogr. Syst. Bot. Missouri Bot. Gard. 25, 453–60.
Sakko, A.L. (1998) The influence of the Benguela upwelling system on Namibia's marine biodiversity. Biodiv. Conserv. 7, 419.
Strohbach, B.J. (1992) Loss of genetic diversity due to veld degradation-a case study in the northern Kalahari, Grootfontein district. In Proceedings of the First National Workshop on Plant Genetic Resources (G.L. Maggs and Strohbach, B., eds). Swakopmund, 1991. Dinteria 23, 12–15.
Tarr, P. (1996) Environmental assessment policy. Namibia Environ. 1, 135–8.
Verdcourt, B. (1969) The arid corridor between the northeast and southwest areas of Africa. Palaeoecol. Afr. 4, 140–4.
Werger, M.J.A. (ed.) (1978) Biogeography and Ecology of Southern Africa. The Hague: Junk.
White, F. (1983) The Vegetation of Africa: a Descriptive Memoir to Accompany the UNESCO/AETFAT/UNSO Vegetation Map Africa. Paris: UNESCO.
Wood, R.D. (1978) Charophyta. In Flora of Southern Africa 9 (O.A. Leistner, ed.). Pretoria: Botanical Research Institute.
WWF/IUCN (1994) Centres of Plant Diversity: a Guide and Strategy for their Conservation. Cambridge: IUCN Publications Unit.
Zeven, A.C. and De Wet, J.M.J. (1982) Dictionary of cultivated plants and their regions of diversity. 8. African region. Wageningen: Centre for Agricultural Publishing and Documentation, pp. 121–47.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Maggs, G.L., Craven, P. & Kolberg, H.H. Plant species richness, endemism, and genetic resources in Namibia. Biodiversity and Conservation 7, 435–446 (1998). https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008819426848
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1008819426848