NC Indigenous tree in danger of extinction due to drought

A botanist at the Richertsveld Transfrontier Park in the Northern Cape is concerned that the iconic Halfmens succulent plants, which are only found in the Richtersveld desert and parts of Namibia, may eventually become extinct due to climate change and constant droughts.

A drought event that occurred at the Richtersveld has reduced the Pachypodium Namaquanum or Halfmens, by over 80%. Another drought would wipe out the entire species.

Pachypodium Namaquanum, also known as Halfmens or elephant’s trunk, is a succulent plant found in Southern Africa.

The Genus name Pachypodium is from the Greek for ‘thick foot’, an allusion to its swollen base, while the species name Namaquanum is a reference to Namaqualand.

The succulent plant is native to the arid, rocky mountains of the Richtersveld in the Northern Cape and Southern Namibia.

“They are extremely important, especially to the Nama people because of the ancient tales around them and it’s a species literally every person in the region knows about. From a small child to an elderly person and unfortunately from 2016 up until 2022, due to a single drought event and, above-average temperatures that we experience in this region, more than 80% of the whole population of Halfmens died completely. To such an extent that the species used to be marked as least concern on the South African rate list as well as the international rate list and we updated the status of the species last year to now critically endangered. It will take only one more event to wipe out the entire species,” says botanist and Head of the Richertsveld Transfrontier Park, Piet van Wyk.

He adds that climate change is the reason why the Halfmens are endangered.

“It is definitely linked to climate change because we know now in the Richtersveld for the past 10 years the temperatures have risen on average for about 4.1, 4.2 degrees Celsius and it is just too much for the species to handle,” he says.

Van Wyk says the removal of this species by collectors also poses a distinct threat to its survival and trade is prohibited unless the necessary certificates and permits have been obtained.

“It means a lot to our people because our ancestors used to tell us about the Halfmense,”  adds Leana Jaara of the Nama community on the importance of the plant.