The Southeastern part of Namibia is one of the least sampled areas in the country, even though it supports numerous endemic plant and animal species. To address this gap, the JRS Biodiversity Foundation supported a project titled, “Incorporating Succulent Plant and Animal Species Information into Conservation Planning”. On Wednesday, 21 October 2026, NYCE hosted a webinar to share the project’s findings and discuss the importance of biodiversity research in strengthening conservation planning.
The webinar featured two presenters – Ms. Lovisa Kandenge, a Junior Technician based at the National Botanical Research Institute, working on the plant component of the project, and Mrs. Martha Moses, a Junior Technician based at the National Museum of Namibia, focusing on the animal component of the project. The session was moderated by Ms. Paula Sacheus.
Why is this project important?
This three-year project commenced in 2023 and is expected to conclude in early 2027. It is implemented in partnership with the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), the National Botanical Research Institute (NBRI) and the National Museum of Namibia (NMN). The project focuses on the Warmbad area, which falls within the Gariep Centre of Endemism, and lies at the intersection of the Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo biomes. Despite the area’s endemism importance, it remains poorly documented and falls largely outside existing protected areas. Thus far, the project has identified 36 endemic succulent plant species within its study area.
The lack of baseline biodiversity data makes conservation difficult. Small and often overlooked taxonomic groups such as arthropods and small vertebrates are frequently excluded from conservation assessments. Thus, areas with high concentrations of endemic and threatened species may remain underrepresented in conservation planning and environmental impact assessments. This project aimed to improve the quality and availability of this data by documenting succulents, insects, arthropods, reptiles, amphibians, aquatic invertebrates and small mammals. These organisms play important roles in ecosystem functioning, including maintaining food webs, supporting soil health and serving as indicators of environmental change.
Documenting plant and animal diversity
During the webinar, presenters explained the field methods used to collect data across the study area. For the plant component, the team documented aspects such as species identity, GPS location, population information, habitat characteristics and potential threats. Infrastructure development, mining, poaching, climate change, grazing and trampling are a few of the threats affecting succulent plants. Reliable information on these species is important in order to implement the right measures. For instance, if there is a proposed development project in an area where important succulent plant species occur, measures to monitor, relocate plants or entirely avoid the area can be taken. But this is only possible when data is available.
For the animal component, tools such as pitfall traps, Sherman traps, drift fences, dip-netting, sweep-trapping, pan traps etc. were used. The team recorded an impressive diversity of organisms including, 6 species of mice, 16 orders of insects, 7 orders of arachnids, 8 species of aquatic invertebrates and 4 frog species, and a potential new fairy shrimp species (Streptocephalus) waiting to be formally described. For reptiles, the team recorded 9 gecko species, including the newly identified barking gecko (Ptenopus kenkensis), as well as 8 species of skinks.
The project recorded 23 Red List species – 4 of these are critically endangered, 5 are endangered, 10 are vulnerable, and 4 are near-threatened. The findings reinforce the urgent need to consider the southeastern region in future conservation planning.
Data sharing and engagement
Now that data has been collected, presenters emphasised the importance of making the information accessible. The collected data is verified and stored in scientific databases, with records shared though platforms such as the Environmental Information System (EIS) of Namibia, the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF) and iNaturalist. When this information is easily accessible, it improves transparency in environmental decision-making, supports scientific research and encourages public participation in biodiversity documentation.
The project is nearing conclusion; however, students, researchers and the public can contribute to biodiversity research and conservation in many ways. Participating in academic seminars, guest lectures and knowledge-sharing webinars is one way. Another way is through using citizen science platforms such as iNaturalist and EIS to record observations. For NYCE members, points are awarded for using the EIS platform or iNaturalist to record biodiversity observations. There is still more to explore in southeast Namibia beyond this project, therefore students can take up related topics in their academic research.
Conclusion
Southeast Namibia holds critical biodiversity value that has, for years, received limited research attention. The project is helping address the information gap. The findings highlight the importance of investing in biodiversity research, especially in under-sampled areas where endemic and threatened species may be overlooked. Southeast Namibia will not be left out!
For further reading, click on this link to download Martha and Lovisa’s presentations (pdf,4mb).