Jonah Patel
Biodiversity hotspots are biogeographic regions with significant levels of biodiversity that are threatened by human habitation. They are critical for a healthy ecosystem, underpinning all life on Earth. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else on Earth (endemic species) and have lost at least 70% of its primary native vegetation. Globally, 36 zones qualify under this definition, including the Sundaland Hotspot in Southeast Asia and the Tropical Andes Hotspot in South America. These hotspots are among the richest and most important ecosystems in the world, and they are home to many vulnerable populations who directly depend on nature to survive.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Number of hotspots | 36 |
| Percentage of Earth's land surface covered | 2.4% to 2.5% |
| Percentage of world's plant species | 50% to 60% |
| Percentage of bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species | 43% |
| Number of people living in the hotspots | 2 billion |
| Percentage of vegetation lost | Minimum 30% to 70% |
| Number of endemic species | Minimum 1,500 |
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What You'll Learn
A high percentage of endemic species
Biodiversity hotspots are biogeographic regions with significant levels of biodiversity that are threatened by human habitation. They are critical to human survival as they are among the richest and most important ecosystems in the world. Globally, 36 zones qualify under this definition, representing just 2.5% of Earth's land surface.
Endemism is an important concept in conservation biology for measuring biodiversity in a particular place and evaluating the risk of extinction for species. An endemic species is unique to a certain water body, place, or region. There are two types of endemics: neoendemics, which live in the cradle in which they originated, and paleoendemics, which used to have wider distributions in the past but now occur in relict populations in a more restricted area. Most endemics occur in water bodies that are both large and old, such as the ancient lakes of Baikal and Tanganyika.
Some environments, such as caves, islands, and certain mountain ranges in temperate regions, are known for having a high percentage of endemic species within their total millipede faunas. Additionally, certain biological traits make certain groups more prone to high speciation rates and endemism, such as the fish family Cichlidae in three African lakes: Victoria, Tanganyika, and Malawi.
The presence of a high percentage of endemic species within a biodiversity hotspot can also influence the designation of conservation areas. For instance, the Caparaó National Park was formed in the Atlantic Forest, a biodiversity hotspot in Brazil, to protect valuable and vulnerable species. Similarly, Birdlife International has identified "Endemic Bird Areas" (EBAs) to conserve bird species found nowhere else.
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Threatened by human activity
Biodiversity hotspots are biogeographic regions with rich ecosystems that are threatened by human habitation. They are home to many vulnerable populations that directly depend on nature to survive. Globally, 36 zones qualify as biodiversity hotspots, covering just 2.4-2.5% of the Earth's land surface. These areas support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, with a high proportion of those species found nowhere else.
Human activity has had a profound impact on biodiversity, threatening the very ecosystems that humanity depends on for survival. The primary driver of biodiversity loss is land-use change, particularly the conversion of natural habitats into farmland or for resource extraction. This has led to the destruction of vital ecosystems such as forests, wetlands, and coral reefs, which has had a cascading effect on the species that depend on them. Deforestation, for example, has turned parts of the Amazon rainforest from a carbon sink into a carbon source, contributing to climate change.
Climate change is the third most significant direct driver of biodiversity loss, already altering the habitats of species and their ability to find food. As the climate warms, the suitable climate 'envelope' for each species moves towards the planet's poles, and species with limited dispersal ability may not be able to track this change in real-time. Additionally, climate change can increase opportunities for animals to spread diseases and for viruses to spill over to humans.
Pollution, including the widespread use of pesticides and fertilisers, also threatens biodiversity. Water use in major catchments, such as through dams and irrigation, reduces water flows and further impacts ecosystems. The overexploitation of natural resources, including overfishing, overhunting, and overharvesting, accounts for around 20% of biodiversity loss.
Invasive species, facilitated by human trade and travel, account for 11% of biodiversity loss. Industrialised farming methods, such as monoculture and intensive livestock rearing, have also had a significant impact on biodiversity and human health. The dominance of a small number of farmed animal species, such as cows and pigs, has altered the balance of mammal species.
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Critical to human survival
Biodiversity hotspots are critical to human survival. They are biogeographic regions with significant levels of biodiversity that are threatened by human habitation. These hotspots are among the richest and most important ecosystems in the world and provide crucial ecosystem services for human life, such as the provision of clean water, pollination, and climate regulation. They represent just 2.5% of the Earth's land surface but support more than half of the world's plant species as endemics and nearly 43% of bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species.
Biodiversity is the foundation of all life on Earth, and without it, there would be no air to breathe, no food to eat, and no water to drink. The coexistence of living and natural resources is essential for the entire ecological life support system. Hotspots are critical for a healthy ecosystem and are home to thousands of irreplaceable species that are facing multiple, urgent threats. They are also home to many vulnerable populations who are directly dependent on nature to survive.
To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else on Earth, and it must have lost at least 70% of its primary native vegetation. Globally, 36 zones qualify under this definition, and these sites support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species, with a high proportion of endemics.
Conservation in these hotspots is essential for sustainable management and the protection of these vital natural resources. Organizations such as Conservation International and the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) are working to conserve biodiversity hotspots and improve human well-being. They recognize that protecting nature must be a fundamental part of every human society for humanity to survive and thrive.
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Conservation efforts
Biodiversity hotspots are critical for a healthy ecosystem. They are biogeographic regions with significant levels of biodiversity that are threatened by human habitation. Biodiversity hotspots are home to thousands of irreplaceable species that are facing multiple, urgent threats. Conservation efforts in these hotspots promote sustainable management of natural resources and support economic growth, which also helps reduce drivers of violent conflict.
Several international organizations are working to conserve biodiversity hotspots. The Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF) is a global program that provides funding and technical assistance to non-governmental organizations to protect the Earth's richest regions of plant and animal diversity, including biodiversity hotspots. Conservation International, one of CEPF's global donor organizations, adopted Myers' hotspots as its institutional blueprint in 1989.
BirdLife International has identified 218 "Endemic Bird Areas" (EBAs), each of which holds two or more bird species found nowhere else. The World Wide Fund for Nature has devised a system called the "Global 200 Ecoregions", which aims to select priority ecoregions for conservation from fourteen terrestrial, three freshwater, and four marine habitat types.
The conservation of OCBILs (old, climatically-buffered, infertile landscapes) within biodiversity hotspots has started to gain attention because current theories believe these sites provide not only high levels of biodiversity but also relatively stable lineages and the potential for high levels of speciation in the future.
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Mapping techniques
Biodiversity hotspots are biogeographic regions with significant levels of biodiversity that are threatened by human habitation. They are critical for a healthy ecosystem, underpinning all life on Earth. They are home to thousands of irreplaceable species that are facing multiple, urgent threats.
To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else on Earth (endemic species) and have lost at least 70% of its primary native vegetation. Globally, 36 zones qualify under this definition.
Several mapping techniques can be used to depict biodiversity hotspots:
- Point mapping: The distribution of discrete geographic phenomena (an object or event) is depicted using identical dots. In this case, the hotspot is a dot at a specific address. However, identifying clusters by observing single events as points in an area can be problematic as it would depend on the visual perception of the observer.
- Spatial ellipses: Standard deviational ellipses are applied around point clusters to display hotspots on a map. However, ellipses may not be as informative as other mapping techniques when the type of hotspot does not follow an elliptical form.
- Thematic maps: These use geographic boundaries or quadrats (e.g., census blocks or uniform grids) to effectively aggregate data and spatial details.
- Interpolation: This technique involves estimating values between known data points to create a continuous surface.
- Kernel density estimation: This technique uses a smoothing function to estimate the density of features in a given area.
These mapping techniques provide valuable tools for visualizing and understanding biodiversity hotspots, which are critical for conservation efforts and maintaining a healthy ecosystem.
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Frequently asked questions
Biodiversity hotspots are regions with significant levels of biodiversity that are threatened by human habitation. They are critical for a healthy ecosystem and human survival.
To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else on Earth (endemic species), and it must have lost at least 70% of its primary native vegetation.
There are currently 36 recognised biodiversity hotspots, including the Sundaland Hotspot in Southeast Asia, the Tropical Andes Hotspot in South America, the Himalayas, and the Indo-Burma Region.
