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Aspire IAS Environment Module PT 2013

Aspire IAS 10/70 ORN NDelhi 60 - 9999801394 www.aspireias.com
BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS
Extinction is the gravest aspect of the biodiversity crisis and it is irreversible. Although Extinction is a natural process,
human impacts have elevated the rate of extinction by several thousand times the natural rate. Mass extinctions of this
magnitude have only occurred five times in the history of our planet; the last brought the end of the dinosaur age. In
the recent times, unsustainable consumption in many northern countries and crushing poverty in the tropics are
destroying wild nature. In a world where conservation budgets are insufficient given the number of species threatened
with extinction, identifying conservation priorities is crucial. In this regard, a British ecologist Norman Myers defined
the biodiversity hotspot concept in 1988 to address the dilemma that conservationists face: what areas are the most
immediately important for conserving biodiversity?
The biodiversity hotspots make up the high numbers of endemic species, however their combined area of remaining
habitat covers only 2.3 percent of the Earth's land surface. Each hotspot faces extreme threats and has already lost at
least 70 percent of its original natural vegetation. Over 50 percent of the worlds plant species and 42 percent of all
terrestrial vertebrate species are endemic to these 34 biodiversity hotspots.
Hotspot Definition:
Conservation International adopted Myers hotspots as its institutional blueprint and made the decision to undertake a
reassessment of the hotspots concept. Later it introduced quantitative thresholds for the designation of biodiversity
hotspots.
To qualify as a hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria:
It must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants (> 0.5 percent of the worlds total) as endemics, and
It has to have lost at least 70 percent of its original habitat.

Hotspots Revisited:
Hotspot Revisited is an analysis with the aims of not to rework the entire hotspots concept; rather, to revisit the status
of the existing hotspots, refine their boundaries, update the information associated with them and, most importantly,
consider a number of potential new hotspots.
A major finding of this updated analysis is that six previously overlooked areas qualify for hotspot status. These are
the Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands of northern Mexico and the southwestern United States, southern Africas
Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany region, the Horn of Africa, the Irano-Anatolian region, the Mountains of Central Asia,
and Japan. In addition, two hotspots have been subdivided, as data are now sufficient to show that they contain quite
distinctive biotas. The original Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests hotspot has been partitioned, such that the
Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa stand alone as a separate hotspot (now extending into southeastern Somalia and
southern Mozambique), while the Eastern Arc Mountains have been grouped with the mountains of the Southern Rift,
Albertine Rift and Ethiopian Highlands to form the Eastern Afromontane Hotspot. Similarly, the Himalaya and Indo-
Burma regions are now listed as separate hotspots, with the former extending further to the west into Pakistan and the
northeast Afghanistan than did the Himalayan portion of the original Indo-Burma Hotspot.
The final change revealed in this reassessment of the hotspots is truly terrifying. Less than a decade ago, the islands of
eastern Melanesia, while known to be extremely endemic-rich, still held largely intact habitat. Since then, rampant
logging and establishment of oil palm plantations have devastated these islands, leaving only 30 percent of their
forests remaining, a situation mirroring the fate of Indonesias forests a decade ago.
Finally, delineating hotspots is by no means an exact science. It requires a line that might be easily discernible or
rather vague on the ground must be drawn to represent a transition between two habitats. The map of Ecoregions
developed by the World Wildlife Fund-U.S. is now the most widely used system for such bioregional classification.

In total, this updated analysis reveals the existence of 34 biodiversity hotspots, each holding at least 1,500 endemic
plant species, and having lost at least 70 percent of its original habitat extent. Overall, the 34 hotspots once covered
15.7 percent of the Earth's land surface. In all, 86 percent of the hotspots' habitat has already been destroyed, such that
the intact remnants of the hotspots now cover only 2.3 percent of the Earths land surface.
Between them, the hotspots hold at least 150,000 plant species as endemics, 50 percent of the world's total. The total
number of terrestrial vertebrates endemic to the hotspots is 11,980, representing 42 percent of all terrestrial vertebrate
species. Reptiles and amphibians, are more prone to hotspot endemism than are the more wide-ranging mammals and
birds, but the overall similarity between taxonomic groups is remarkable. Overall, 22,022 terrestrial vertebrate species
call the hotspots home, 77 percent of the world's total.
The current analysis also includes the first assessment of inland fishes across all hotspots. Although most current
statistics are likely underestimates because almost 200 freshwater fish species are discovered each year the
hotspots already hold 29 percent of the world's freshwater fish species as endemics, with 55 percent of species
occurring.
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Aspire IAS Environment Module PT 2013
Aspire IAS 10/70 ORN NDelhi 60 - 9999801394 www.aspireias.com
While the 34 hotspots clearly hold astounding levels of species endemism, this is not sufficient to describe the extent
to which they represent the history of life. This is important because it could be argued that measures of biodiversity at
higher taxonomic levels than the species better represent evolutionary potential, ecological diversity, and the range of
options for future human use. In the current analysis, we therefore measure hotspot endemism at the higher taxonomic
levels of genera and families, and find an extremely high concentration of biodiversity at these levels, even compared
to what we would expect based on their levels of species endemism.
Three major conclusions of this analysis are:
1. The amount of biodiversity contained in the hotspots is extremely high. More than half of the planet's species
are endemic to only 16 percent of its land area. Based on the evidence from terrestrial vertebrates, it seems
that the overall number of species occurring in the hotspots is much greater approaching four-fifths. If we
consider only the extent of remaining habitat 2.3 percent of the planet's land surface these numbers are
even more remarkable.
2. The hotspots provide us with the real measure of the conservation challenge. Unless we succeed in conserving
this small fraction of the planets land area, we will lose more than half of our natural heritage.

Threats to Hotspots:
Habitat destruction is a pervasive threat affecting hotspots and is already causing extinctions in many areas.
Accelerating anthropogenic climate change will undoubtedly magnify the effects of habitat destruction and
fragmentation. Predatory invasive species have already had a devastating impact on the island hotspots, where species
evolved in the absence of animals such as cats and rats. Introduction of exotic plant species into hotspots, particularly
those of Mediterranean-type vegetation, is also having massive ecosystem effects. Direct exploitation of species for
food, medicine, and the pet trade is a serious threat to all hotspots, particularly in the Guinean Forests of West Africa
and several Asian hotspots. Another grave concern is the severe decline of amphibians worldwide, the cause of which
remains unknown.
The most direct measure of this threat can be derived from assessments of conservation status of species. The IUCN
Red List of Threatened Species, compiled by the Species Survival Commission of IUCN-The World Conservation
Union, classifies species that have a high probability of extinction in the medium-term future as Critically
Endangered, Endangered, or Vulnerable.
For mammals, birds, and amphibians, the three groups of species for which assessments of distribution and
conservation status have been conducted. The IUCN Global Reptile Assessment is currently underway, and equivalent
data for threatened reptile species should be available in a few years time.

Human Population and Hotspots:
The relationship between people and biodiversity is not simply one where more people lead to greater impacts on
biodiversity. Human population density among hotspots varies widely, from four people per km (in the Succulent
Karoo) to as much as 336 people per km (in Japan). Of course, much of our understanding of human-biodiversity
interactions lies not in human density but rather in human activity. A good example of this is the Cerrado, with a
population density of only 13 persons per km, but which has suffered considerable habitat loss due to the expansion
of commercial agriculture.


World Biodiversity Hotspots
Continent Hotspot Region Characteristic
Africa Cape Floristic Region Evergreen fire-dependent shrublands characterize the landscape of the
Cape Floristic Region.
Coastal Forests Of
Eastern Africa
Though tiny and fragmented, the forest remnants that make up the
Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa contain remarkable levels of
biodiversity.
Eastern Afromontane The mountains of the Eastern Afromontane hotspot are scattered along
the eastern edge of Africa, from Saudi Arabia in the north to Zimbabwe
in the south.
Guinean Forests Of
Western Africa
The lowland forests of West Africa are home to more than a quarter of
Africas mammals, including more than 20 species of primates.

Horn Of Africa The arid Horn of Africa has been a renowned source of biological
resources for thousands of years.
Madagascar & The
Indian Ocean Islands
Madagascar and its neighboring island groups have an astounding total
of eight plant families, four bird families, and five primate families that
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Aspire IAS Environment Module PT 2013
Aspire IAS 10/70 ORN NDelhi 60 - 9999801394 www.aspireias.com
live nowhere else on Earth.

Maputaland-
Pondoland-Albany
Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany, which stretches along the east coast of
southern Africa below the Great Escarpment, is an important center of
plant endemism.
Succulent Karoo The Succulent Karoo of South Africa and Namibia boasts the richest
succulent flora on earth, as well as remarkable endemism in plants.
Asia-Pacific

East Melanesian
Islands
Once largely intact, the 1,600 East Melanesian Islands are now a
hotspot due, sadly, to accelerating levels of habitat loss.
Himalaya The Himalaya Hotspot is home to the worlds highest mountains,
including Mt. Everest.
Indo-Burma Encompassing more than 2 million km of tropical Asia, Indo-Burma is
still revealing its biological treasures.
Japan The islands that make up the Japanese Archipelago stretch from the
humid subtropics in the south to the boreal zone in the north, resulting
in a wide variety of climates and ecosystems.
Mountains Of
Southwest China
With dramatic variations in climate and topography, the Mountains of
Southwest China support a wide array of habitats including the most
endemic-rich temperate flora in the world.
New Caledonia An island the size of New Jersey in the South Pacific Ocean, New
Caledonia is the home of no less than five endemic plant families.
New Zealand A mountainous archipelago once dominated by temperate rainforests,
New Zealand harbors extraordinary levels of endemic species.
Philippines More than 7,100 islands fall within the borders of the Philippines
hotspot, identified as one of the worlds biologically richest countries.
Polynesia-Micronesia Comprising 4,500 islands stretched across the southern Pacific Ocean,
the Polynesia-Micronesia hotspot is the epicenter of the current global
extinction crisis.
Southwest Australia The forest, woodlands, shrublands, and heath of Southwest Australia are
characterized by high endemism among plants and reptiles.
Sundaland The spectacular flora and fauna of the Sundaland Hotspot are
succumbing to the explosive growth of industrial forestry in these
islands.
Wallacea The flora and fauna of Wallacea are so varied that every island in this
hotspot needs secure protected areas to preserve the regions
biodiversity.
Western Ghats & Sri
Lanka
Faced with tremendous population pressure, the forests of the Western
Ghats and Sri Lanka have been dramatically impacted by the demands
for timber and agricultural land.
Europe &
Central
Asia

Caucasus The deserts, savannas, arid woodlands, and forests that comprise the
Caucasus hotspot contain a large number of endemic plant species.
Irano-Anatolian Forming a natural barrier between the Mediterranean Basin and the dry
plateaus of Western Asia, the mountains and basins that make up the
Irano-Anatolian Hotspot contain many centers of local endemism.
Mediterranean Basin The flora of the Mediterranean Basin is dramatic. Its 22,500 endemic
vascular plant species are more than four times the number found in all
the rest of Europe.
Mountains Of Central
Asia
Comprising two of Asias major mountain ranges, the Mountains of
Central Asia were known to early Persians as the roof of the world.
North &
Central
America

California Floristic
Province
The California Floristic Province is a zone of Mediterranean-type
climate and has the high levels of plant endemism characteristic of these
regions.
Caribbean Islands The Caribbean Islands support exceptionally diverse ecosystems,
ranging from montane cloud forests to cactus scrublands, which have
been devastated by deforestation and encroachment.
Madrean Pine-Oak
Woodlands
Encompassing Mexicos main mountain chains, and isolated
mountaintop islands in Baja California and the southern United States,
the Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands is an area of rugged mountainous
terrain, high relief, and deep canyons.
Mesoamerica The Mesoamerican forests are the third largest among the worlds
hotspots. Their spectacular endemic species include quetzals, howler
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Aspire IAS Environment Module PT 2013
Aspire IAS 10/70 ORN NDelhi 60 - 9999801394 www.aspireias.com
monkeys, and 17,000 plant species.
South
America

Atlantic Forest The Atlantic Forest of tropical South America boasts 20,000 plant
species, 40 percent of which are endemic.
Cerrado The Cerrado region of Brazil, comprising 21 percent of the country, is
the most extensive woodland-savanna in South America.
Chilean Winter
Rainfall-Valdivian
Forest
A virtual continental island bounded by the Pacific Ocean, the Andes
Mountains, and the Atacama Desert, the Chilean Winter Rainfall-
Valdivian Forests harbors richly endemic flora and fauna.
Tropical Andes The richest and most diverse region on Earth, the Tropical Andes region
contains about 5 percent of all vascular plant species in less than 1
percent of the worlds land area.
Tumbes-Choc-
Magdalena
Tumbes-Choc-Magdalena is bordered by two other hotspots:
Mesoamerica to the north, and the Tropical Andes to the east.