IMPACTS OF CLIMATE CHANGE
ON PLANT DIVERSITY IN SOUTH AFRICA

IN A NUTSHELL

South Africa's botanical treasures are world-renowned, with nearly 10% of the Earth's recorded plant species being found here! The Succulent Karoo and Fynbos Biomes are both recognised as global 'hotspots' of plant biodiversity. These regions are rich in unique plants - but many of those species are threatened with extinction. In fact, with the second highest number of extinct plants in the world, South Africa's plant conservation efforts could be improved. In the past, these extinctions were usually the result of habitat transformation caused by agriculture and urbanisation. Today however, a far less visible risk threatens to make vast areas of South Africa uninhabitable by the plants that have lived here for millenia. This threat is global climate change. Scientists at the National Botanical Institute and University of Cape Town have been studying the possible impacts of climate change on the survival and distribution of South Africa's indigenous plants. This report is a brief summary of their findings, which have been submitted as part of the South African Country Study on Climate Change. These results are preliminary, but disturbing enough to warrant broader exposure and discussion.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

The researchers, Dr Guy Midgley and Dr Mike Rutherford of the National Botanical Institute (NBI) and Prof William Bond of the University of Cape Town (UCT), would like to thank WWF-SA for supporting climate change research and the production of this publication. The study was initially funded by the Department of Environment and Tourism and the US Country Studies Program. Comprehensive, ongoing funding from Conservation International (Center for Applied Biodiversity Science) is also gratefully acknowledged.