- Succulent Karoo
The Succulent Karoo is a desert ecoregion of
South Africa andNamibia .etting
The Succulent Karoo stretches along the coastal strip of southwestern Namibia and South Africa's
Northern Cape Province , where the coldBenguela Current offshore creates frequent fogs. The ecoregion extends inland into the uplands of South Africa'sWestern Cape Province . It is bounded on the south by theMediterranean climate fynbos , on the east by theNama Karoo , which has more extreme temperatures and variable rainfall, and on the north by theNamib Desert .Flora
The Succulent Karoo is notable for the world's richest flora of
succulent plant s, and harbors about one-third of the world’s approximately 10,000 succulent species. The region is also extraordinarily rich ingeophyte s, harboring approximately 630 species.Fauna
Conservation
The ecoregion has been designated a
biodiversity hotspot byConservation International .External links
* [http://www.worldwildlife.org/wildworld/profiles/terrestrial/at/at1322_full.html Succulent Karoo (World Wildlife Fund)]
* [http://www.biodiversityhotspots.org/xp/Hotspots/karoo/ Succulent Karoo biodiversity hotspot (Conservation International)]
* [http://www.plantzafrica.com/vegetation/succkaroo.htm Succulent Karoo (PlantZAfrica.com)]
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