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BIOMES AND HOTSPOTSThe vegetation of South Africa is so rich and varied that, when discussing plant distribution, it is convenient to refer to broad ecological regions. We call these regions biomes, and they are characterised by particular climates and vegetation types. Ecologists have described seven South African biomes, namely Desert, Forest, Fynbos, Grassland, Nama-Karoo, Savanna and Succulent Karoo.
According to climate models, within 50-100 years the biomes as we know them will have been reduced to 35-55% of their present area. Climatic conditions in the rest of the country will be unlike anything experienced today. From the point of view of plant conservation, one of the greatest challenges is how climate change may affect plant biodiversity 'hotspots'. These areas are unusually rich in species but are highly threatened by human activities. Hotspots may also have a number of endemic species, which have such restricted natural distributions that they are found in that particular area and nowhere else on Earth! One such global hotspot is the Succulent Karoo Biome, which has the richest succulent flora in the world. These plants live on the edge of survival, completely dependent on low but fairly reliable winter rainfall. If the climate of this region becomes any drier, the effects on the entire biome will be devastating. |
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© National Botanical Institute SA |