2026-09-23T07:19:54Zhttps://repository.unam.edu.na/server/oai/request

oai:repository.unam.edu.na:11070/42132026-03-28T22:01:03Zcom_11070_3406com_11070_3311com_11070_3304col_11070_87

Kwembeya, Ezekeil Gwinyai Andreas, Emilia Ndapandula 2026-03-23T09:53:22Z 2026-03-23T09:53:22Z 2024 http://hdl.handle.net/11070/4213 A thesis submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science (Biodiversity Management and Research) The identification of IPAs (Important Plant Areas) has been at the forefront of conservation research in recent years however, there is no recent information on the IPAs in Namibia. Thus, the aim of this study was to identify, map, and rank the IPAs in the study regions using the IPA criteria established by Darbyshire (2017) and validate those demarcated based on expert knowledge (hereafter referred to as preliminary IPAs). New IPAs were identified using the global IPA criteria following Blasi et al. (2011) and Darbyshire et al. (2017). Similarly, preliminary IPAs were validated using the global IPA criteria. IPAs were ranked in terms of their conservation importance using a grid-based ranking system. QGIS software was used to produce maps for new IPAs. In addition, current protected areas and non-protected areas do not differ significantly in terms of species richness based on this standard scoring method. Consequently, Cluster analysis produced four clusters with 10% similarity in species composition, indicating huge differences in species composition between protected and non-protected areas that satisfy the IPAs criteria. QDS with high conservation scores were identified as the new IPAs instead of the previously demarcated IPAs. This study recommends stakeholders, practitioners, and policymakers to prioritize IPAs that are not in protected areas for conservation. Additionally, this study revealed the effectiveness of identifying and recognizing IPAs using globally standardized IPA criteria and expert-opinion-based selection alone en University of Namibia Important plant areas Preliminary important plant areas Quarter degree square Identification Mapping Ranking Protected and non-protected areas Namibia University of Namibia Identification, mapping and ranking of important plant areas in Oshana, Oshikoto, Omusati and Ohangwena regions in Namibia Thesisopen.access