Conservation scientists have proclaimed the Sperrgebiet one of the world's top 34 biodiversity hotspots, an honour earned principally by the unique and superabundant species of succulents found in the area, 234 of which are endemic and 284 of which are Red Data listed. The Sperrgebiet is the most biodiverse region in Namibia and the Succulent Karoo biome, of which it is part, supports more species of succulents than any other place on earth. The horseshoe-shaped inselbergs provide shelter from the wind and are particularly rich. Aurusberg, for example, has 80 plant species, some found nowhere else on earth. After spring rains, literally millions of succulents flower, carpeting the normally bleak landscape in a fiery blaze of colour.