welwitschia (Welwitschia mirabilis) Case Study
Home > Biodiversity Nature & People > Conservation Philanthropy > Grants > MBZF Grant 212527121
Continent: Africa
Country: Namibia
Grant Amount: $13,000
Awarded Date: November 11, 2021
Pierluigi Bombi
National Research Council of Italy - Institute of Research on Terrestrial Ecosystems
via Salaria km 29.300
Monterotondo
Roma
00015
Italy
Tel: 0690672731
Mob:
Assessment of the extinction risk for the iconic Welwitschia mirabilis
Main aim of this project is providing a science-based estimation of the extinction risk for Welwitschia mirabilis at the species level according to the IUCN criteria. This will allow its inclusion in the official redlist of threatened species and a more formal consideration of this species in the decision-making process. In order to reach this aim we will target the following secondary objectives: 1. Discover and make available the existing information on species distribution, demography, and conservation, which is currently spread in a plethora of published and unpublished datasets and field observations. 2. Verify the real level of isolation of the different subranges and populations, in order to identify intra-specific conservation units. 3. Define the extent of occurrence and the area of occupancy for each intra-specific conservation unit we identified. 4. Measure basic demographic parameters for a representative set of populations in each conservation unit. 5. Quantify local threats for each conservation unit. Effects of intensive browsing, fungal infections, and mining activities were reported but their effects have not been adequately defined. 6. Identify priority areas for the species conservation. 7. Extend the analysis of climate change impacts to the other subranges.
The text and images for this case study are uploaded by the grant recipient to raise awareness of the conservation work being done. Through its website the Fund provides the platform, but is not responsible for text or image content of case studies. We would like to sincerely thank the recipient for uploading a case study.