The Namibia Sperrgebiet has 1,050 plant species and the area is part of an internationally recognised "biodiversity hotspot", which incorporates this area and the Richtersveld, Namaqualand in South Africa, Hantam-Roggeveld, Breede Rivier Valley and the centre of the Little Karoo. Under the name Succulent Karoo Ecosystem Programme (SKEP) under the wing of the Namibia Nature Foundation (NNF), the Namibian part of the SKEP project intends to obtain more scientific information about the area, research the brown hyena and to compile a management plan SKEP was launched in Windhoek last week by the ministry of environment and tourism and renounced scientists like Dr Chris Brown and Dr Antje Burke are involved. More information is available at www.skep.org or www.nnf.org.