It has the richest succulent flora in the world, harboring about one-third of the world's approximately 10,000 succulent species. Other unique features include the diversity of miniature succulents (435 spp.) and geophytes (630 spp.). The ecoregion is also a center of diversity and endemism for reptiles and many invertebrate taxa, especially monkey beetles (Rutelinae: Hoplinii). However, less than 3 percent of the ecoregion is conserved in ten statutory reserves. Overgrazing, especially on communal lands, and mining continue to transform this landscape. The existing biodiversity is threatened by expansion of communal lands and associated overgrazing, new mining ventures, and the illegal harvesting of succulents.