This article will discuss the major biodiversity hotspots in india. These hot spots support nearly 60% of the worlds plant, bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species. Understanding the origins and evolution of the worlds biodiversity hotspots. By alan lee many readers will i am sure have heard that the tambopata is part of a world biodiversity hotspot. Earths biologically richest and most endangered terrestrial ecoregions and a paper published in the journal nature. Many areas within the tropical zones are considered biodiversity hotspots, and are home to the worlds most rare and endangered species. In order to qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, according to conservation international, a region must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants 0.
These hotspots are important because biodiversity underpins all life on earth. Conserving biodiversity coldspots semantic scholar. In particular, rates of n deposition within the newly defined 34 world biodiversity hotspots, to which 50% of the worlds floristic diversity is restricted, has not been quantified previously. Aspirants can also download the notes pdf at the end of the article. May 07, 2010 the world s 34 recognized biodiversity hotspots only cover 2. Warner senior technical specialist, world bank and guy parker wychwood biodiversity prepared most of the case study material.
Protecting important biodiversity hotspots iucn the international union for conservation of nature and the critical ecosystem partnership fund cepf are undertaking a fiveyear investment for conservation of globally important biodiversity in the indoburma hotspot. Biodiversity hotspots around the world and in india by, r. Research vulnerability of biodiversity hotspots to global change. Only recently have we begun to test key assumptions that determine how useful a hotspot approach can be for conservation planning. Areas which exhibit high species richness as well as high species endemism are.
They are also areas with a high diversity of locally endemic sp. Some concentrate on regional biodiversity conservation concerns, such as the africa wildlife foundation, founded in 1961. Biodiversity hotspots pennsylvania state university. The 25 hotspots feature several habitat types at global scale. Biodiversity hotspots are a method to identify those regions of the world where attention is needed to address biodiversity loss and to guide investments in conservation. Biodiversity of india, biodiversity hotspots of india. A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. Sadly, human activity has seen typical extinction rates increase by 100 to 10 000 times, mainly due to the. These regions have been identified as some of the worlds most important ecosystems.
It is situated in the indomalaya ecozone and comprises of 2 out of the 35 biodiversity hotspots in the world. A biodiversity hotspot is a region with a high amount of biodiversity that experiences habitat loss by human activity. In 2011, the forests of east australia region was identified as the 35th biodiversity hotspot. That is what makes our country one of the 12 mega diversity countries of the world. Biodiversity and conservation were among the central. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities nature. Earths biologically richest and most endangered terrestrial ecoregions and a paper published in. All biodiversity hotspots contain at least one global 200 ecoregion.
Without species, there would be no air to breathe, no food to eat, no water to drink. Biodiversity and biodiversity hotspots biodiversity. In 1999,when norman myers published the book,hotspots. Pdf biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities carlos. The simple answer is that biodiversity hotspots are geographic areas that contain high levels of species diversity but are threatened with extinction. Pdf hotspots of biodiversityareas particularly rich in species, rare species, threatened. The term hotspot was introduced in 1988 by norman myers. Pdf in an era of human activities, global environmental changes, habitat loss and species extinction, conservation strategies are a crucial. This opens the way for a silver bullet strategy on the part of conservation planners, focusing on these hotspots in proportion to their share of the worlds species at risk. The worlds 34 recognized biodiversity hotspots only cover 2.
Biodiversity hotspots in india is an important topic for the ias exam and is under upsc mains gsiii syllabus. Home to the greatest nontropi cal concentration of higher plant species in the world, the region is the only hotspot that. Concept was first introduced by norman myers, in a paper published in the journal nature. Apr 25, 2017 biodiversity hotspots are home to unique flora and fauna, most of which are endemic to the particular environment. Pdf understanding the origins and evolution of the world. There are 34 areas around the world which are qualified as biodiversity hotspots. It is evident that highertaxon richness patterns can be combined to create even better surrogates for overall species diversity.
The areas where can be found the highest concentrations of endemic species and that also face the highest loss of natural habitats are called biodiversity hotspots. In india, there are approximate 350 mammals which make up 7. In this context, it is especially striking that relatively few studies have tried to assess the vulnerability of biodiversity hotspots to climate change, landuse changes, and ias. Research vulnerability of biodiversity hotspots to global. Currently, we lack an understanding of the threat of n deposition to biodiversity at the global scale. Whats more, conservation international is an investor in the critical ecosystem partnership fund. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on myers 2000 edition of the hotspotmap, a region. The biodiversity hotspot concept first appeared in an article written by the scientist norman myers in 1988. To qualify as a hotspot, a region must meet two criteria. Biodiversity of india, biodiversity hotspots of india pmf ias. How many biodiversity hotspots are in the world, 34 or 25.
According to iucn 2004, the total number of plant and animal species described so far is slightly more than 1. Pdf evaluating global biodiversity hotspots very rich and even. Thats because hotspots are among the richest and most important ecosystems in the world and they are home to many vulnerable populations who are directly dependent on nature to survive. In fact, 15 of the 25 hotspots contain at least 2,500 endemic plant species, and 10 of them at least 5,000. The map shows 34 biodiversity hotspots which cover 2. The hotspots provide crucial ecosystem services for human life, such as provision of clean water, pollination and. This article is a qualitative as well as a quantitative advance on a preliminary effort5,6, which limited itself to vascular plants in 18 hotspots. The 36 biodiversity hotspots are home to around 2 billion people, including some of the worlds poorest, many of whom rely directly on healthy ecosystems for their livelihood and wellbeing. Earths biologically richest and most endangered terrestrial ecoregoins, 25 biodiversity hotspots were identified.
A user guide references on biodiversity offsets have recently been produced by organizations such as the. Biodiversity and conservation although india h as only 2. The variability among living organisms from all sources including terrestrial, marine and other aquatic ecosystems, and the ecological complexes of which they are part. These hotspots include 49955 endemic species which account for about 20% of worlds total plant species, mittermeir and werner 1990 on the basis of species richness put forth the concept of mega diversity centres. Biodiversity hotspot a biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened with destruction. Accordingly, 34 biodiversity hotspots have been so far identified. Nov 15, 2016 biodiversity hotspots are areas that support natural ecosystems that are largely intact and where native species and communities associated with these ecosystems are well represented. Intuitively, we want to conserve the most threatened areas.
The question of what geographical regions to protect in order to maintain the most biological diversity is. Species in these regions can account for twothirds of all known species on earth. Global mammal distributions, biodiversity hotspots, and. A relatively small number of countries 17 have less than 10%. Apr 10, 2018 find out the concept of biodiversity hotspots, criteria to qualify as a biodiversity hotspot and the name of hotspots regions of the world, which is very useful for the competitive examinations. Biodiversity hotspots for conservation priorities pdf. To qualify as a hotspot, an area must contain at least 0. Places with the highest levels of biodiversity in the world tend to be concentrated in tropical and subtropical regions. Biodiversity hotspots are areas that support natural ecosystems that are largely intact and where native species and communities associated with these ecosystems are well represented. Jul 18, 2018 in 1999,when norman myers published the book,hotspots. The 18 global hotspots defined by norman myers have since been used by the macarthur foundation to target its grantmaking. Understanding the origins and evolution of the world s biodiversity hotspots. Biological hotspots 5000on 4000on 3000on 20noon ioooon p lynesia 0s 70000s 60000 califo nia flo istic pr vince 80doon ca bbeqn. A large proportion of the species waiting to be discovered are in the tropics.
Estimates place the global species diversity at several million. Terrestrial biodiversity and the world heritage list iucn portal. The number of species threatened with extinction far outstrips available conservation resources, and the situation looks set to. Biodiversity hotspots in india indian flora and fauna. Pdf understanding the origins and evolution of the worlds. To qualify as a hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria. Originally representing 16% of the earths surface, the unique habitat of the hotspots. Areas which exhibit high species richness as well as high species endemism are termed as hot spots of biodiversity. Many global organizations are working to conserve these biodiversity hotspots, such as the world wildlife foundations global 200 and the critical ecosystem partnership fund. Springer, heidelberg description biodiversity hotspots are a method to identify those regions of the world where attention is.
Biodiversity and biodiversity hotspots iasmania civil. A read is counted each time someone views a publication summary such as the title, abstract, and list of authors, clicks on a figure, or views or downloads the fulltext. The word biodiversity describes the richness of an area in terms of its genes, species and ecosystems. Cepf is an alliance of leading conservation donors that provides grants to nonprofit and privatesector organizations that are working to protect the biodiversity hotspots and improve human wellbeing. Norman myers wrote about the concept in two articles in the environmentalist, and 1990 revised after thorough analysis by myers and others hotspots. Biodiversity hotspots are defined as areas having at least 1500 endemic plant species and having lost at least 70 per cent of their original habitat extent. While hotspots are spread all over the world, the majority are forest areas and most are located in the tropics. This term was introduced by myers in 1988, who has presently recognized twentyfive such hotspots of biodiversity on a global level. A biodiversity hotspot is a region with a high level of endemic species that have experienced great habitat loss. A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is. The 36 biodiversity hotspots are home to around 2 billion people, including some of the world s poorest, many of whom rely directly on healthy ecosystems for their livelihood and wellbeing. Across the world, about 35 areas are marked as hotspots of biodiversity and they represent 2. Our diversity hotspots cannot be equated to the biodiversity hotspots normally mentioned in the conservation literature, as the latter usually consider also aspects of species traits and identity.
Biodiversity hotspot analysis was originally used to identify large regions, typically the size of an entire nation, that deserved conservation attention, such as madagascar, northern borneo, or the philippines. Hotspots of biodiversityareas particularly rich in species, rare species, threatened species, or some combination of these attributesare increasingly being delineated to help set priorities for conservation. Global mammal distributions, biodiversity hotspots, and conservation gerardo ceballos and paul r. Biodiversity refers to the variety and variability among all groups of living organisms and ecosystem complexes in which they occur. A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation norman myers wrote about the concept in two articles in the environmentalist 1988, and 1990 revised after thorough analysis by myers and others hotspots. In addition to supporting a great diversity of species and habitat types, the worlds mountains encompass some of the most spectacular landscapes and harbor a signi. Geographic distribution of biodiversity healingearth. Indoburma is one of the most threatened biodiversity hotspots, due to the rate of resource exploitation and habitat loss.
But today in its latest update,us based conservation international ci,has. List of global hotspots of biodiversity biology discussion. His current focus is on the examination of different consenmtion strategies, although he also. The idea was first developed by norman myers in 1988 to identify tropical forest hotspots characterized. Atmospheric nitrogen deposition in world biodiversity. Collectively, the biodiversity hotspots support 60% of worlds plant and animal species with a high share of endemics and cover around 2. Aspirants will also find the list of iucn endangered species. Ledec lead ecologist, world bank and sally johnson consultant, world bank, under the guidance of magda lovei practice manager, world bank. Jun, 2017 biodiversity hotspots around the world and in india by, r. In particular, rates of n deposition within the newly defined 34 world biodiversity hotspots, to which 50% of the world s floristic diversity is restricted, has not been quantified previously.
Conserving biodiversity coldspots recent calls to direct conservation funding to the worlds biodiversity hotspots may be bad investment advice peter kareiva and michelle marvier peter knrelva is lead scientist for the nature conseivana. Nearly half the worlds vascular plant species and onethird of terrestrial vertebrates are endemic to 25 hotspots of biodiversity, each of which has at least 1500 endemic plant species. Predominant are tropical forests, appearing in 15 hotspots, and mediterraneantype zones, in five. Find out the concept of biodiversity hotspots, criteria to qualify as a biodiversity hotspot and the name of hotspots regions of the world, which is.
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