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Biodiversity hotspot

Summary:-
A biodiversity hotspot is a biographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is
threatened by human habitation.

To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on Myers 2000 edition of the hotspot-map, a region

must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 0.5% or 1,500 species of vascular
plants as endemics, and it has to have lost at least 75% of its primary vegetation. Around the
world, 36 areas qualify under this definition. These sites support nearly 60% of the world's
plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian spieces, with a very high share of those species
as endemics. Some of these hotspots support up to 15,000 endemic plant species and some
have lost up to 95% of their natural habitat.

Biodiversity hotspots host their diverse ecosystems on just 2.4% of the planet's
surface however the area defined as hotspots covers a much larger proportion of the land.
The original 25 hotspots covered 11.8% of the land surface area of the Earth. Overall, the
current hotspots cover more than 15.7% of the land surface area, but have lost around 85%
of their habitat. This loss of habitate explains why approximately 60% of the world's terrestrial
life lives on only 2.4% of the land surface area.

World’s 35 Biodiversity Hotspots

I. Africa III. Europe and Central Asia

1. Cape Floristic Region 23. Caucasus

2. CoastalForests of Eastern Africa 24. Irano-Anatolian
3. Eastern Afromontane 25. Mediterranean Basin
4. Guinean Forests of West Africa 26. Mountains of Central Asia
5. Horn of Africa
6. Madagascar and the Indian Ocean
Islands
7. Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany IV. North and Central America
8. Succulent Karoo

27. California Floristic Province

28. Caribbean Islands
II. Asia-Pacific 29. Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands
30. Mesoamerica
9. East Melanesian Islands
10. Himalaya
11. Indo-Burma
12. Japan V. South America
13. Mountains of Southwest China
14. New Caledonia
31. Atlantic Forest
 15. New Zealand 32. Cerrado
16. Philippines 33. Chilean Winter Rainfall-Valdivian
17. Polynesia-Micronesia Forests
18. Southwest Australia 34. Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena
19. Forests of Eastern Australia (new) 35. Tropical Andes
20. Sundaland
21. Wallacea
22. Western Ghats and Sri Lanka

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explanation of biodiversity hot spot in India:-

India is known for its rich biodiversity and has around 24.46% of the geographical area
covered by forests and trees.
Coined by Norman Myers, the term “Biodiversity hotspots” can be defined as the regions
which are known for their high species richness and endemism.

there are major four biodiversity hotspots in India:-

1. The Himalayas
2. Indo-Burma Region
3. The Western Ghats
4. Sundaland

1.The Himalayas
Considered the highest in the world, the Himalayas (overall) comprises North-East India,
Bhutan, Central and Eastern parts of Nepal. This region (NE Himalayas) holds a record of
having 163 endangered species which includes the Wild Asian Water Buffalo, One-horned
Rhino; and as many as 10,000 plant species, of which 3160 are endemic. This mountain
range covers nearly 750,000 km2

2.Indo – Burma Region

The Indo-Burma Region is stretched over a distance of 2,373,000 km². In the last 12 years, 6
large mammal species have been discovered in this region: the Large-antlered Muntjac, the
Annamite Muntjac, the Grey-shanked Douc, the Annamite Striped Rabbit, the Leaf Deer, and
the Saola.
This hotspot is also known for the endemic freshwater turtle species, most of which are
threatened with extinction, due to over-harvesting and extensive habitat loss. There are also
1,300 different bird species, including the threatened White-eared Night-heron, the Grey-
crowned Crocias, a.d the Orange-necked Partridge.
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3.The Western Ghats

The Western Ghats are present along the western edge of peninsular India and covers most
of the deciduous forests and rain forests. As per UNESCO, it is home to at least 325 globally
threatened flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species. Originally, the vegetation in
this region was spread over 190,000 km2 but has been now reduced to 43,000 km2. The
region is also known for the globally threatened flora and fauna represented by 229 plant
species, 31 mammal species, 15 bird species, 43 amphibian species, 5 reptile species and 1
fish species. UNESCO mentions that “Of the total 325 globally threatened species in the
Western Ghats, 129 are classified as Vulnerable, 145 as Endangered and 51 as Critically
Endangered.”

4.Sundaland
The Sundaland hotspot lies in South-East Asia and covers Singapore, Thailand, Indonesia,
Brunei, and Malaysia. In the year 2013, the Sundaland was declared as a World Biosphere
Reserve by the United Nations. This region is famous for its rich terrestrial and marine
ecosystem. Sundaland is one of the biologically richest hotspots in the world which
comprises 25,000 species of vascular plants, of which 15,000 are found only in this region.