Eriospermum halenbergense

This species is restricted to a small area east of Luderitz. The deserts in this area are well protected (within the Sperrgebiet and the Namib-Naukluft National Parks) and this locality is not affected by diamond mining. There is some succulent plant collecting in this region but this is not thought to affect this species (P. Craven pers. comm. 2015). Two of the herbarium records are not far from the main road and railway towards Luderitz so this area could possibly be affected by development of new tourist infrastructure but currently there are no plans for this region. There may have been some off road driving disturbing this habitat during recent construction work upgrading the railway line but this is now complete (H. Kolberg pers. comm. 2015). Droughts are predicted to intensify in Southern Africa in the 21st century due to reduced rainfall and/or increased evapotranspiration (Niang et al. 2014). As this species may flower only after good rainfalls (H. Kolberg pers. comm. 2015) reduced rainfall could affect this species.

The area where this species has been found is by the northern edge of the Tsau//Khaeb (Sperrgebiet) National Park. However, as it is on the edge of the National Park it is suspected to be only passively protected (S.Loots pers. comm. 2016). Parts of this park are closed for diamond mining and are not accessible to the public. This species should be targeted for ex situ conservation. Surveys are required in this area to find out more information on the size of the population.