A selection of soils were sampled in the Central Namib Desert to investigate the importance of landscape and associated plant communities on soil nutrient status. Soils were sampled in an ephemeral river, a wash, and at two dune sites. The soils in the lower landscape positions, the Kuiseb River and an associated wash, had significantly higher nutrient levels than those at the dune sites. These lower landscape positions also had the most stable plant communities,Faidherbia albidaandWelwitschia mirabilis, respectively. The two dune soils, which both support perennial herbaceous species, had extremely low nutrient levels. Keywords: Welwitschia mirabilis, Faidherbia albida, ephemeral rivers, Namibia, soil nutrients, relative enrichment.