Book chapter
Flora and vegetation
Western Cape State of Biodiversity 2007, pp.112-138
Western Cape Nature Conservation Board
2007
Abstract
The flora of the Western Cape Province (WCP) is particularly rich, with 11 388 plant taxa (including infraspecific taxa) recorded in the WCP compared to 20 627 taxa recorded for the whole of South Africa (SA), excluding Lesotho & Swaziland and 66 142 taxa in Africa. This means that the WCP has 55% of SA’s plant taxa in only 11% of SA’s land area and 17% of Africa’s plant taxa in 0.24% of Africa’s land area. Of the plant taxa in the WCP, 10 916 (96%) are indigenous and 472 (4%) are naturalised (originally from outside the WCP). Of the naturalised taxa, 137 or 1% of the WCP flora, are invasive species. A high number of the flora is endemic (6 776 taxa or 60%) and 1 212 plant taxa, or 68% of SA’s threatened species, are found in the WCP. Twenty seven species in the WCP are extinct (57% of SA’s extinct species).
Of the 166 vegetation units found in the WCP, 110 (66%) are endemic to the WCP. Of these, 35 vegetation units presently have very little (0.1 to 5%) and 24 units have no area under protection. The areas under conservation of seven vegetation units improved by more than 10% between 2002 and 2006.
All District Municipalities in the WCP contain vegetation units that are endemic to their political boundary. All District Municipalities, except of the Central Karoo, are home to Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable vegetation units.
The large proportion of endemic and threatened flora and vegetation units in the WCP place an enormous responsibility on the governments of both SA and the WCP to ensure the survival of this unique flora. In the Fynbos or Cape Floristic Region the greatest threat to the plant taxa is agriculture (mainly on the lowlands).
Details
- Title
- Flora and vegetation
- Authors/Creators
- Ladislav MucinaA Le RouxV BowieF Daniels - South African National Biodiversity InstituteD. C. Raimondo - South African National Biodiversity InstituteA. G. Rebelo - South African National Biodiversity InstituteM.C. Rutherford - Stellenbosch UniversityLeslie W. PowrieT. H. Arnold - South African National Biodiversity InstituteC. de Wet - South African National Biodiversity InstituteY. Steenkamp - South African National Biodiversity InstituteE. E. Snyman - South African National Biodiversity InstituteH. M. Steyn - South African National Biodiversity InstituteW. B. Foden - South African National Biodiversity InstituteC. GelandB. B. Gysman
- Publication Details
- Western Cape State of Biodiversity 2007, pp.112-138
- Publisher
- Western Cape Nature Conservation Board; Cape Town, South Africa
- Identifiers
- 991005579954407891
- Copyright
- CapeNature © 2007
- Murdoch Affiliation
- Centre for Terrestrial Ecosystem Science and Sustainability
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Book chapter
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