Environment & Ecology: Biodiversity Hotspots

A Biodiversity Hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is under threat from human habitation. The concept was introduced by Norman Myers in 1988.

Criteria for Qualification

• Species Endemism: Must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics (found nowhere else on Earth).
• Degree of Threat: Must have lost at least 70% of its original primary vegetation.
• Global Status: Currently, there are 36 biodiversity hotspots recognized worldwide.

Hotspots in India

• The Himalayas: Includes the entire Indian Himalayan region.
• The Western Ghats: Entire mountain range along the west coast and Sri Lanka.
• Indo-Burma: Includes Purvanchal Hills, Arakan Yoma, and Eastern Bangladesh.
• Sundaland: Includes the Nicobar Islands (part of South East Asia hotspot).

Question for you: In which year was the Biological Diversity Act of India enacted to preserve biological diversity?

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