Changing Biomes in South Africa

Description

Predictions of the effects of climate change on natural ecosystems in South Africa, over the medium to long term, have included reduced spatial extent of the Grassland biome (Ellery et al. 1991) and an increase in the extent of the Desert biome (Macdonald & Midgley 1996). This graphic shows how the Grassland Biome is expected to shrink as surrounding biomes expand their ranges. It also shows how increasingly arid conditions in the Northern Cape region may change the geographic distribution of the Nama Karoo and Succulent Karoo biomes.