Environment: Biodiversity Hotspots

Biodiversity Hotspots are regions that are both biologically rich and deeply threatened. To qualify as a hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: Endemism and Threat level.

Criteria for Qualification

• Endemic Species: It must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics (found nowhere else on Earth).
• Habitat Loss: It must have lost at least 70% of its original native vegetation.
• Concept Origin: The term was coined by Norman Myers in 1988.

Hotspots in India

• The Himalayas: Entire Indian Himalayan region (and that falling in Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, China, and Myanmar).
• Western Ghats: Includes the entire mountain range in the west and Sri Lanka.
• Indo-Burma: Includes Purvanchal Hills, Arakan Yoma, and Eastern Bangladesh.
• Sundaland: Includes the Nicobar group of Islands (and Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines).

Question for you: Which organization maintains the list of Global Biodiversity Hotspots?

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