Conservancies and community forests in relation to areas of high biodiversity (left) and endemism (right).
Contributions to the protection of biodiversity and endemism
Biomes and habitats are protected by community conservation (Map and Table). Although riverine habitats are small in the context of the entire country, their importance is magnified because they cross arid terrain and provide vital refugia for wildlife. Conservancies in the arid north-west of Namibia provide critical protection of habitats, which are less well protected in the moister eastern regions of Kavango and Zambezi due to roads and associated settlements, which have developed along river courses.
Communal conservancies, community forests, state protected areas, tourism concessions and freehold conservancies in relation to Namibia’s main vegetation types and major biomes.
| Habitat, biome or area | Communal conservancies | Community forests outside conservancies | Concession areas | State protected areas | Total coverage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lakes & dams | 15.6 | 12.6 | 28.2 | ||
| Oshanas & floodplains | 33.4 | 8.6 | 42.0 | ||
| Pans | 3.1 | 77.8 | 80.9 | ||
| Perennial rivers | 37.2 | 20.8 | 58.0 | ||
| Ephemeral rivers | 34.3 | 1.6 | 11.1 | 47.0 | |
| Nama Karoo | 14.6 | 1.4 | 5.0 | 21.0 | |
| Namib Desert | 13.9 | 3.2 | 75.7 | 92.8 | |
| Succulent Karoo | 90.5 | 90.5 | |||
| Acacia Savanna | 20.1 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 4.5 | 24.8 |
| Broad-leafed Savanna | 34.3 | 2.3 | 8.8 | 45.4 | |
| Total area of Namibia | 20.2 | 0.4 | 0.8 | 16.8 | 38.2 |
The table displays the portions of habitats and biomes covered by each conservation category, as well as the total percentage of such areas protected