Namibia

Female Welwitschia mirabilis

With a mean annual rainfall of approximately 270 mm, Namibia is rated to have the driest climate in sub-Saharan Africa. The only perennial rivers flow along parts of the northern and southern borders, with all other rivers being dry beds only. More than 50% of the land surface is arid or desert, a further 37% semi-arid and only around 8% sub humid. Humid conditions are mainly found in the northeast and the Caprivi Strip, with decreasing moisture in most of the country, increasingly so towards the south and west. Annual average rainfall varies from less than 20 mm in the western Namib and coastal zones to more than 700 mm at the eastern end of the Caprivi Strip, but only 5% of the country receives more than 500 mm. A relatively small population of less than 2 million is mainly concentrated in the central-north of the country so that large areas are relatively undisturbed. Therefore, since a significant part of Namibia’s economy is based upon its natural vegetation, the conservation of genetic resources of wild plant species is a national priority.

Kokerboom (Aloe dichotoma) forest

The mainly trying conditions for plant life nevertheless support a unique vascular plant flora of around 4000 species of which 602 are endemic (among them Chamaegigas intrepidus – see feature; the well-known relic species Welwitschia mirabilis – see picture - is a near-endemic). Centres of endemism are in the Kaokoveld in the north-west (continuing into Angola), the Karoo-Namib in the south-west (continuing into South Africa) and the Zambesian regional centre in the north-east of the country. A total of 287 species are classified as endangered and vulnerable. Conservation of endemic and threatened species is a priority of the project.

The MSB partner since 2001 has been the Ministry of Agriculture, Water and Forestry (MAWF – with Forestry a renaming of Rural Development as it was previously called) in the capital Windhoek. The five-year Agreement was renewed in 2006 for the remaining duration of the MSB project. Under the Ministry resides the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and the National Plant Genetic Resources Centre (NPGRC) with whom collaboration has been established with the main objective to assist NBRI in its efforts to conserve plant genetic resources of indigenous Namibian plant species.

Grassland with Hyphaene petersiana near the Kunene river, Kaokoveld

The project aims to collect around 130 species new to the MSB per year.

The collaboration is expected to deliver the following outputs: (1) germplasm of wild species of arid/semi-arid areas in Namibia will be conserved and duplicated at the MSB; (2) personnel in Namibia will be trained in specialised techniques and research methodologies; (3) storage capacity at NPGRC will be expanded, and (4) baseline knowledge on Namibian plant genetic resources will be improved and documented.