attempt to understand it. Biodiversity varies widely across the Earth, depending on tempera-
ture, rainfall, soils, geography and the presence of other species.
Scientists have described over 1,7 million of the world’s species of animals, plants and algae.
A rich species diversity is found in South Africa. With a land surface of approximately
148 000 square kilometres, representing approximately 1% of the Earth’s total surface, South
Africa contains10% of the world’s total known bird, fish and plant species, 6% of the world’s
mammal and reptile species.
This natural wealth is threatened by the expansion of the human population and the increas-
ing demand this places on the environment. As such South Africa as a country is a ’hotspot’
of biodiversity, a term given to an area with a large biodiversity of plants and animals. The
Karoo and the Cape are biodiversity hotspots in South Africa. South Africa has a wide range
of climatic conditions and many variations in landscape as you learnt in the previous chapter.
These various landscapes give rise to the biomes which allow a wide variety of life to survive.
In the table below are listed some of the major plant, mammal, bird, reptile/amphibian, fish
and insect species found in South Africa. You are not expected to know any of the numbers
but they are given to you in order to illustrate the extent of biodiversity that exists in South
Africa.
Chapter 10. Biodiversity and classification 295