The Namib Desert ecoregion runs as a narrow coastal belt along western Namibia, stretching from the Uniab River in the north to Lüderitz in the south, between the Atlantic Ocean and the foot of the inland Namib Escarpment some 80 to 200 kilometers from the coast. Its sparse vegetation is built for extreme aridity: scattered perennial grasses, succulents, ground-hugging lichens, and the iconic endemic Welwitschia mirabilis, a long-lived plant that grows just two strap-shaped leaves throughout its life. The climate is hyper-arid and fog-driven, as the cold Benguela Current offshore suppresses rainfall while feeding thick coastal fog that blankets the shoreline for more than 180 days a year and drifts up to roughly 100 kilometers inland. The Namib is renowned for high plant endemism and may hold more endemic species than any other desert in the world, with large reserves such as Namib-Naukluft National Park safeguarding much of the landscape. Gardeners may recognize native succulents from this region, including the quiver tree (Aloidendron dichotomum), a striking aloe relative cultivated for hot, dry, low-water plantings.
Marker placed inside the RESOLVE 2017 polygon at 24.0°S, 15.1°E.
Climate snapshot for this ecoregion
°C
°F
Current zone range (2011–2040)
11a-12b
Plotwright
CHELSA-derived typical winter month at this ecoregion's bbox grid.
Projected (2041–2070)
11a-13a
Plotwright
Where the CHELSA models say the typical winter month is heading.
Average warming this ecoregion is on track for: +3.5°F by mid-century. SSP3-7.0 (current trajectory) · CHELSA v2.1 bio06 sampled across 10 of 10 points within this ecoregion's bounding box.
At a glance
Dominant biome
Deserts & Xeric Shrublands
Realm
Afrotropic
Approximate area
30,671 sq mi
Conservation tier
Half Protected (Dinerstein NNH 1)
About the deserts & xeric shrublands biome
Arid and semi-arid lands where low, erratic rainfall and high evaporation limit vegetation to drought-adapted shrubs, succulents, and sparse grasses. Day-to-night temperature swings are large, and life is finely tuned to water scarcity.
Catalog plants suited to this ecoregion
Computed from each plant's stated USDA zone range against this ecoregion's CHELSA-derived current zone range, with the CHELSA mid-century warming delta applied for the projection. Plants whose stated range falls outside both the current and projected zone end up dropped; the rest land in one of the three buckets below.
Climate-resilient picks · 52
These plants fit this ecoregion today AND remain in range under the mid-century SSP3-7.0 projection. Lead with these for a planting that holds up as the climate shifts.
No curated collection's plants all fit this ecoregion's zone range. We surface a collection only when every member would grow here — partial fits get filtered out rather than mislead. As the catalog and the curated set both grow, this section will fill in.
Related ecoregions
Other deserts & xeric shrublands ecoregions to explore: