Biological characterization of the Orange-Fish River Basin, Namibia. Report produced for the Ephemeral River Basins in southern Africa (ERB) Project.

Desert Research Foundation, Namibia (DRFN). Windhoek.

Summary:

The OFRB is biogeographically diverse and represents all four biomes of Namibia. Despite almost 3,000 species being known from there, biodiversity knowledge of the OFRB as reflected in the datasets used here is too unevenly spread to conclusively identify biodiversity and endemism hotspots. However, some candidates do emerge. They are the western escarpment, including the Naukluft area and the Rosh Pinah/Obib area; the Huns/Fish River Canyon area; the Karas Mountains; Brukkaros Mountain and the Warmbad area. Some parts of the OFRB are particularly undersampled and could benefit from further sampling/inventorying. For much of the OFRB, eco-tourism represents the most viable, sustainable and profitable land-use. Several useful or important species of plants or animals could be developed to enhance tourism potential, including the re-introduction of historically extinct species. The status of the presumed extinct ‘Cape warthog’ may merit further investigation.