IMPORTANCE OF NAMIBIAN ECOSYSTEMS IN THE PROVISION OF GOODS

AND SERVICES TO HUMANITY: NORTHERN KALAHARI WOODLANDS AND NAMA

KAROO ECOSYSTEMS

Student name: Wendy N Geingos

Student number: 201705716
Module: Intergrated Natural Resource Management EBL3841
Table of Content

• Introduction
• The Nama Karoo
• Goods provided by the Nama Karoo
• Services provided by the Nama Karoo
• Challenges and possible solutions
• The Northern Kalahari woodlands
• Goods provided by the Kalahari woodlands
• Services provided by the Kalahari woodlands
• Challenges and possible solutions
• Conclusion
• References
Introduction
Ecological goods and services are the benefits the environment provides to human
beings from physical,biological and chemical functions of healthy ecosystems. This
includes market goods produced from ecosystems (e.g fresh water) , benefits from
ecossystem processes (such as climate regulation) and non-material benefits (e.g
recreation). We will be looking at the Nama Karoo and the Northern Kalahari
Woodlands and the ecological goods and services each provides.
The Nama Karoo
The Nama-Karoo Biome is located on the central plateau of the western half of South
Africa, occurring at altitudes of between 500 and 2 000m. It includes the northern parts
of the Western and Eastern Cape, as well as much of the Northern Cape. It also extends
into the Free State and the southern parts of Namibia. The Nama Karoo is South
Africa’s third-largest biome, accounting for around 20% of the total area in South
Africa. In fact, it covers more than 135 000km² – making it larger than a country like
Greece. (BOTSOC National, 2023)
Goods provided by the Nama Karoo
• Nomadic herds of game such as springbok are a food source for indeginous people.
• Plants such as the African sandalwood (Osyris lanceolata) are used to produce
perfume .
• Large amount of grassland is present livestock to graze on.
• Copper, salt,silver and gypsum are mined.
Services Provided By The Nama Karoo
• Aesthetics provided by the picturesque landscape.
• Tourism as a result of the fauna, flora and landscape .
• The land in some areas of the biome serve as rangeland for grazing of livestock
which in turn provide an income source to farmers.
• Cultural services such as heritage to communities that have lived there for
generations and called the area their home.
• Mining provides employment.
 Challenges and Possible Solutions

• The biggest problem currently being faced by the Nama Karoo is the overgrazing of
livestock.This puts a very high strain on the vegetation and in turn leads to the stress of erosion
increasing. This erosion eventually leads to land degradation which negatively impacts the
plant diversity of the ecosystem. A solution could be to have more land that is protected and to
actively restore lost vegetation by planting native species.
• Climate change also impacts the ecosystem negatively as some species such as the Visagie's
golden mole and Grant's rock rat are specifically adapted to live in this biome and potentially
become at risk of extinction. A possible solution would be to dedicate more efforts in the
conservation of these endemic species.
• Introduced plants (e.g. Some Cactaceae) and accidental introductions (e.g. Salsola kali ) have
the potential to seriously alter the region’s ecology and hydrology. A solution could be to
eradicate invasive species that threaten the balance of the ecosystem.
The Northern Kalahari Woodlands
The Northern Kalahari Woodlands also known as the Kalahari Acacia woodlands
have the Zambezian Baikiaea woodlands on their noth boundary , and on the east is
the Bushveld. The Angolan mopane woodlands lay to the northwest, and the
Kalahari xeric savanna lies to the south and west. (Martin, 2022)
These woodlands cover the center of southern Africa, from northern Namibia
diagonally through to southeast Botswana and just into the Tuli Block of South
Africa. All this is semi-arid sandveld with little surface water. Droughts are
experienced at about every seven years. Rainfall mostly occurs in the summer from
October through March.
Goods Provided By The Northern Kalahari Woodlands
• The mopane trees present serve as a source of mopane worms.
• The greater kudu , springbok and the gemsbok etc, provide a food source to people in
the form of meat.
• There are large ground water reserves as sources for water.
• Large amounts of grass ,shrubs and trees are present for livestock to graze on.
• Trees such as Acacia nigrescenes, Acacia erioloba and Combretum apiculatum
prrovide firewood and are used to build shelter.
• Soil structure and ferility.
Services Provided By The Northern Kalahari Woodlands
• Tourism which provides jobs to the locals.
• The landscape and vegetation provide aesthetic services.
• Air quality and atmospheric regulation as a result of all the vegetation present.
• Nutrient cycling which supports biodiversity.
• Soil retention preventing soil erosion.
 Challenges and Possible Solutions
• A major challenge faced in this biome is the man made fences obstructing the
movement of fauna leading to migration patterns being disrupted and eventually
leading to a decline in biodiversity. This can be mitigated by allocating pathways for
the fauna to use as migration pathways. These areas will not have fences present.
• Another major challenge is too many trees being cut down (logging) , leading to
deforestation. This can be mitigated by planting new trees for the ones cut down as
well as giving restrictions on how often trees can be cut down as well as the quantity.
• The over hunting of animals such as the kudu pose to be detrimental to the balance of
the ecosystem. This can be mitigated by having Laws and fines in place for hunting
seasons and how much hunting can take place as well as which species can be hunted.
Conclusion
It is very important that we are educated on the importance of protecting ecosystems
along with how each functions. Each ecosystem provides a range of services and goods
to human beings and the planet as a whole. If these goods and services are not adequitly
managed , there is a high risk that these ecosystems will lose their ecological balance
and put these goods and services at risk of depletion. Looking at these two biomes , we
are able to see just how much we depend on our environment for survival and how
fragile their ecological balance is.
Bibliography
• Martin, E., Burgess , N. (2022). Kalahari Acacia Woodlands. one earth.org. Retrieved
March 10, 2023 , from https://www.oneearth.org/ecoregions/kalahari-acacia-
woodlands/
• BOTSOC National (2023 February, 16). ​Getting to know the secretive Nama-Karoo
Biome​. Botanical Society. Retrieved March 10, 2023, from
https://botanicalsociety.org.za/getting-to-know-the-secretive-nama-karoo-biome/
• Ladislav Mucina, .Michael C. Rutherford,. Anthony , R. Palmer,. Susanne J. Milton,.
Louis Scott,. J. Wendy , Lloyd ,. Bertie van der Merwe,. David B. Hoare,. Hugo ,
Bezuidenhout,. Jan H.J. Vlok,. Doug I.W. Euston-Brown, Leslie W.
Powrie .,Anthony P. Dold. (2006 December). Retrieved March 10, 2023 , from
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/236982004_Nama-Karoo_Biome