What is a desert? Land Use . Build awareness and capacity at all levels and on relevant issues of Climate Change arid zone management. Humans are poor at managing variability in There are a number of different definitions for the term “desert.” At the basic Many of the current land uses (rangeland farming, agriculture, wildlife rainfall or climate change, but we can manage our impact on desert Climate change will affect Namibia’s deserts in several ways. Each level, deserts are ecosystems in which a lack of water is the main factor production, tourism, mining and urban development) within our environments. effect will not occur in isolation and has cumulative and far-reaching limiting biological processes. More specific criteria of deserts are: deserts are currently unsustainable. implications. What are some opportunities our desert biomes offer us? Due to the low amount of rainfall and long recovery periods, deserts . Rainfall – it is predicted that rainfall throughout Namibia and . Low annual rainfall. Renewable Energy are prone to land degradation and desertification. Desertification is the southern Africa will decrease, leading to even drier and expanding . Unpredictable and variable rainfall – some years there is no rain, while other The world is currently facing an energy crisis. Namibia’s need for conversion of land from a more productive state to a less productive deserts. years two or three times the annual amount falls in a very short time (boom energy will only continue to grow as the country develops. Deserts are one, typically through inappropriate land uses and poor management. Variability of rainfall – is also expected to increase, meaning rainfall and bust fluctuations). ideally suited for large-scale renewable energy generation. Solar and amounts will vary more from year to year and that droughts could . The rate of evaporation far exceeds the amount of precipitation (by a factor In order to protect our desert ecosystems, we need to carefully plan, wind farming would be ideal in certain, less attractive and less increase. of 20 or more). manage and optimize land use practices in these areas. biodiversity sensitive areas of Namibia’s deserts. As technology . Fog – it is difficult to predict what effects climate change will have on . Plants and animals show clear adaptations for survival in an arid improves efficiency, solar systems and wind turbines are able to How do we achieve this? fog, but should the amount of fog decrease, the specially adapted environment. generate more power. Promote collaborative and integrated planning at all levels. Tourism plants and animals of the Namib would be severely impacted and . Sparse vegetation cover. increases the value of previously marginal agricultural land and can Tourism and World Heritage Site we would probably witness large-scale extinctions. Fragile soils. assist in conservation efforts. An increase in tourism to desert areas Tourism with a focus on scenery, wilderness, wildlife, landscapes, . Temperature – is expected to increase. This will increase the . Low primary production and low energy systems. can also have a negative effect on the environment (water usage, geology, biodiversity and adventure/activity based enterprises that evaporation rate and reduce soil moisture levels making desert Desert systems are extremely sensitive, fragile and prone to long-term traffic to sensitive areas, etc.). However, if carefully planned and have low environmental impacts. The entire coast and inland desert areas drier and less productive. degradation with long recovery periods. managed, tourism can be beneficial and promote further strip of Namibia, from the Orange to the Kunene Rivers, has recently . Vegetation – increasing temperature, decreasing rainfall and soil conservation. been proclaimed a huge state protected national park, creating the moisture are expected to result in lower grass production and In order to survive desert extremes (lack of water and fluctuating . Secure additional land for biodiversity conservation by state, private Namib-Skeleton Coast National Park. This contiguous strip of parks possible replacement by shrubs, changing the local vegetation. temperatures), both plant and animal species have developed remarkable and communal management, particularly for the Nama Karoo biome covers over 10 million ha – making it the largest protected area in . Biodiversity – a decrease or change in vegetation will affect all adaptations, making deserts rich in rare and endemic species and highly which is poorly protected. Open areas for wildlife movement by Africa and the eighth largest in the world! desert species. Some species may experience a shrinkage of range/ vulnerable to extinction and environmental degradation. removing fences between areas with similar conservation or tourism distribution and abundance, while some may become locally extinct. Now proclaimed, this whole area, plus adjacent regions, qualify for Approximately 22% of Namibia is classified as desert. Three types of desert land uses and promote the co-management of large landscapes. Species that can disperse faster than the rate of climate change World Heritage Site status. This has far-reaching implications for biomes are found in Namibia: Namib Desert, Nama Karoo and Succulent . Create incentives for better land and natural resource management. may shift their ranges provided suitable habitat is available. conservation and tourism and for the marketing and economic Karoo. The southern Kalahari is sometimes referred to as a desert because of By managing the land we have more effectively, we can ensure it is development of Namiba. This changes what used to be considered The Succulent Karoo is particularly vulnerable to climate change the extreme lack of surface water and hot dry conditions. However, this area is both productive and protected. The more flexible the management valueless land under an agriculturally driven economy into high value because of the large number of highly specialized and range restricted considered to be the dry end of the savanna biome. systems, the better they can respond to the variability of desert land on a tourism-based economy. endemics. productivity. Namib Desert Estimated to be the oldest desert in the world. Coastal plain 100 to 150 km wide stretching from Angola north of the Kunene River to Lüderitz in the south. Hyper-arid – receiving less than 100 mm of rainfall per year. The Namib supports a diversity of different habitats. Sand dunes dominate in the south and directly along the coast, gravel plains in the central areas, while mountain ranges and deeply incised river valleys are a feature of the northern Namib. Just two perennial rivers cross Namibia’s deserts, the Orange-Gariep River on the southern border with South Africa and 1,600 km north, the Northern Namib Desert (P. Tarr) Kunene River on the border with Angola. A number of ephemeral rivers cut across this biome. They provide linear oases where large trees and water support many wildlife species, other animals and people. Northern Namib – Kunene to the Huab River . A belt of white sand dunes stretches along the coast from the Kunene to the Koigab River. The Khumib, Hoarusib, Hoanib, Uniab, Koigab and Huab Rivers cut through the dune belt. Plains of sediments and calcrete are found east of the dune belt. Central Namib – Huab to Kuiseb River . Narrow dune belt between Swakopmund and Walvis Bay. The remaining area consists of calcrete gravel plains with gypsum deposits. Inselbergs are found throughout the area and harbour unique flora and fauna. The Ugab, Omaruru, Swakop and Kuiseb Rivers flow through the area creating canyons. However, only the Ugab and Swakop Rivers occasionally flood through to the ocean. Southern Namib – Lüderitz to the Kuiseb River . The Southern Namib consists of sand dunes making up the “sand sea.” . Some of the highest dunes in the world are found at Sossusvlei (300 m). The Tsondab, Tsauchab and Koichab Rivers drain into this area, but terminate in pans rather than flowing all the way to the ocean. Central Namib Desert (P. Tarr) Fog provides a vital water source and plays a critical role in the Namib Desert by providing water to unique plants and animals which have adapted to make use of this resource. The fog belt extends 40 km inland from the coast and receives fog 180 days per year. Some fog occurs from 40 to 80 km inland, only 40 days per year, while farther inland than 80 km fog is rare. The Namib is well protected. Portions have been officially protected since 1907, making it one of the oldest state conservation areas in the world. The Namib-Naukluft National Park (49,768 km2) is the largest conservation area in southern Africa which together with the Skeleton Coast Park and the Dorob National Park ensures that the vast majority of the Namib is protected (75% in national parks, 14% in communal conservancies, 3% in wildlife/tourism concession areas and 1% on freehold land, in total 92% under some form of conservation). Vegetation . Dominated by therophytes – plants which survive drought in seed form. 96% of plant cover in the Namib is annuals (Stipagrostis grass species), occurring outside of drainage areas. Within drainage areas, dwarf shrubs and other plants dominate. Lichens, a symbiotic association between fungi and algae found growing on soil or rock, are also important. Some species are unattached and blow across the desert collecting in washes. Trees are mostly confined to ephemeral rivers and drainage lines (wadis) and include Moringa ovalifolia, Commiphora species, Acacia erioloba (camelthorn), Tamarix usneoides (wild tamarisk), Faidherbia albida (Ana tree), and Salvadora persica (mustard bush). Acanthosicyos horridus (!nara plant), Welwitchia mirabilis (welwitchia) and Euphorbia virosa are Map adapted from Atlas of Namibia (Mendelsohn, et al. 2002) by Carole Roberts characteristic species of the Namib Desert. Fauna Numerous desert vertebrates (29 of which are endemic) occur in the Namib Desert. Some of these endemic species are: . Reptiles – Aporosaura anchietae (shovel-snouted lizard), two species of barking geckos, Pythonodipsas carinata (western keeled snake) and Bitis peringueyi (Peringuey’s adder).