South Africa is characterised by a wide diversity of animal life and is ranked as the third most biologically diverse country in the world (mainly due to the richness of plant life). It is estimated that South Africa has 5.8% of the world's mammal species, 8% of the world's bird species, 4.6% of the world's reptile species, 16% of marine fish species and 5.5% of the world's recorded insect species. In terms of the number of endemic species (species that occur nowhere else) of mammals, birds, reptiles and amphibians, South Africa ranks as the fifth richest country in Africa and the 24th richest in the world. This diversity is caused by variations in climate, geology, soils and landscape forms.

Species occurence (plotted on 1:50 000 grid system) was projected, with the help of habitat descriptions, onto veld types, thus generating an atlas that indicates potential species occurrence at a national level. The top 20% of all species were identified as 'sensitive' and thus used to generate a sensitive species list.

This section of work was produced under the direction of Prof. van Jaarsveld, the director of the Centre for Environmental Studies and the Department of Zoology and Entomology at the University of Pretoria.

Prioritising regional species for conservation action, using four components of rarity:

The fact that some species should be accorded special conservation status has long been a recognised fact. Species rarity and population vulnerability, as documented in Red Data Books, often form the basis of regional conservation actions. However, these categorisations are often highly subjective. Often these evaluations have proceeded at a global scale, with the extinction risk being calculated for the entire geographic range of the affected species. This has done little to aid national and regional conservation planning, where only a small number of charismatic, globally identified priority species (such as the elephant and rhino) have been targeted. Regional biodiversity conservation has been largely negelcted. In fact, the IUCN has itself stipulated that global Red Data assessments are not adequate for local or regional assessments.

For biodiversity conservation to be effective at a regional scale, it is important that regional species conservation actions should be representative of the biodiversity found within the particular region. This approach provides a basis for determining which species should be prioritised within regional conservation action plans. These species are identified on the basis of their range found within a region (relative endemism), their regional occupancy (density of distribution), taxonomic distinctiveness (uniqueness) and the threat of local extinction in terms of their vulnerability, based on Red Data Book status.

The following categories have been used to identify rarity:
Birds
Butterflies
Mammals
Reptiles
Scarabs

The map on the right represents the total number of all the sensitive species from the above categories.

Some sensitive bird species:

• Hamerkop
  (Scopus umbretta)
• Brown Robin
  (Erythropygia signata)
• Mashona Hyliota
  (Hyliota australis)
• Bald Ibis
  (Geronticus calvus)
• Namaqua Warbler
  (Phragmacia substriata)
• Lesser Flamingo
  (Phoeniconaias minor)

Some sensitive butterfly species:

• Orachrysops mijburghi
• Charaxes violetta
• Platylesches tina
• Borbo micans
• Euryphene achlys
• Tuxentius hesperis
• Neita durbani

 

RHINOS The rhino is currently being exterminated by poachers who sell the horn for ornamental and medicinal purposes in Asia and the Middle East. If drastic steps are not taken, four of the five rhino species may become extinct in the wild within the next ten years. The current status of the five rhino species is as follows: Black - 2700 surviving White - 10 400 surviving Indian - 2 400 surviving Javan - 60 surviving Sumatran - 300 surviving Although the white rhino has the largest numbers, one of the two subspecies, the Northern White Rhino, has only 25 left and can therefore be seen as the most endangered rhino. Owing to conservation efforts in South Africa the Southern White Rhino has been saved from extinction, and today it is the most abundant kind of rhino in the world, with greater numbers than all the other kinds of rhino combined. For more information: http://www.rhinos-irf.org/rhinos

Some sensitive mammal species:

• Black rhinoceros
  (Diceros bicornis)
• Blue duiker
  (Philantomba monticola)
• Oribi
  (Ourebia ourebi)
• African wild dog
  (Lycaon pictus)
• Meller's mongoose
  (Rhynchogale melleri)
• African weasel
  (Poecilogale albinucha)
• Duthie's golden mole
  (Chlorotalpa duthieae)

Some sensitive reptile species:

• Cape sand-snake
  (Psammophis leightoni)
• Natal purple-glossed snake
  (Amblyodipsas concolor)
• Namaqua dwarf adder
  (Bitis schneideri)
• Transvaal lizard snake
  (Chamaesaura aneae)
• Transvaal quill-snouted snake
  (Xenocalamus transvaalensis)
• Sungazer
  (Cordylus giganteus)
• Southern brown egg-eater
  (Dasypeltis inornata)

 

CHEETAHS It is estimated that more than 100 000 cheetahs were found in at least 44 countries in 1900. Today, the cheetah is extinct in approximately 20 countries. Only between 9 000 and 12 000 cheetahs remain, occurring mostly in small-pocketed populations in 24-26 countries in Africa and in Iran. For more information: http://www.cheetah.org/home.htm

Some sensitive scarab (beetle) species:

• Epirinus striatus
• Kheper zurstrasseni
• Epirinus bentoi
• Anonychonitis freyi
• Allogymnopleurus consocius
• Drepanopodus proximus
• Bohepilissus nitidus