The Living Edens "Namib" -- Earth, Wind, and Fire

These communities tend to be large populations of relatively few species, especially attracting waders and other aquatic birds numbering in the tens of thousands. Some lagoons, such as Hottentot's Bay, are almost silted and are too saline to support any aquatic life, and therefore any birds. Other lagoons, such as Conception Bay, receive water only during the spring tides. These older lagoons are home to both shipwrecks and fossilized creatures from ancient times.

Fur seals lined along coastal beaches

Few creatures can survive on the beaches of the Namib. On these seemingly barren stretches of sand, there is no firm base for either seaweed or animals to anchor or rest. Persistent wave action prevents the deposition of more fertile fine sediments. The animals that do inhabit the beaches survive the battering waves by burrowing into the sand at high tide. Human visitors to the beaches of the Namib have crushed many of these burrowing animals, especially white mussels, while driving along the shore.

The beaches of the Namib contain the richest diamond deposits in the world, which were not discovered until 1908 near Luderitz. Because of these valued deposits, access is restricted to certain coastal areas. The diamonds found here have been carried up the coast by longshore ocean currents other than the Benguela. They come from the bedrock of ancient seacoasts, which are now submerged. It is believed that they were delivered to these ancient shores by prehistoric rivers from volcanic deposits inland, or may have been formed by volcanic action undersea.

There are only three areas -- Luderitz, Sandwich, and Walvis Bay -- where sandspits and rocky areas provide shelter and dampen the effect of the waves that hit the shore. In these coastal wetlands, finer sands and silt settle in the intertidal region. These sands contain a rich microflora that is feasted on by tiny snails and worms. These small wetlands, which amount to less than 12 square miles (30 square km) of area, are an integral part of the Namib's ecosystem.