What are biodiversity hotspots?

Biodiversity hotspots contain many endangered and vulnerable species, and they are also threatened by urbanisation, agriculture, wildfires, disease, and climate change. Thus, it is important that we work to protect these places to preserve the biodiversity that is so crucial to sustaining all life on Earth. 

Right now, we are in the middle of what’s known as the sixth mass extinction event. Species around the world are going extinct at the fastest rate since the mass extinction event that killed the dinosaurs. Saving these biodiversity hotspots before it’s too late is critical to protecting animals and the planet. 

What does ‘biodiversity hotspot’ mean? 

There are 36 areas around the globe that are labelled as biodiversity hotspots. To be considered a biodiversity hotspot, the region must meet these criteria: 

• It must have at least 1,500 native vascular plant species that are found nowhere else on Earth. Vascular plants are those that have conducting tissue, like ferns, trees, and flowers. 
• It must have lost 70% or more of its original vegetation. Biodiversity hotspots are areas that have experienced the extreme end of the impacts of human activity, climate change, and other threats. 

The origin of biodiversity hotspots goes back to the 1980s. In 1988, British ecologist Norman Myers published a list of 10 areas he identified as tropical forest hotspots, due to their high biodiversity and high levels of habitat loss.  

In the late 1990s, researchers performed an extensive global review and proposed the criteria listed above. This led to 25 areas being officially designated as biodiversity hotspots. In 2005, the number grew to 34.  

In 2011, researchers recognised the 35th hotspot, the Forests of East Australia. In 2016, the 36th and newest hotspot was recognised, the North American Coastal Plain. 

Here is a list of the 36 currently recognised biodiversity hotspots, as of 2024: 

1. Caribbean Islands 
2. Indo-Burma (encompasses Southeast Asia) 
3. Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands 
4. Mediterranean Basin 
5. Mountains of Central Asia 
6. Tropical Andes 
7. Wallacea (encompasses the Indonesian islands between Borneo and Australia) 
8. California Floristic Province 
9. Atlantic Forest (located in eastern South America) 
10. Cape Floristic Region (located in South Africa) 
11. Caucasus 
12. Cerrado (spans parts of Brazil, Bolivia, and Paraguay) 
13. Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa 
14. East Melanesian Islands 
15. Eastern Afromontane (contains parts of East Africa, southern Africa, and the Arabian Peninsula) 
16. Guinean Forests of West Africa 
17. Himalaya 
18. Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany (contains parts of South Africa, Eswatini, and Mozambique) 
19. Mesoamerica 
20. Mountains of Southwest China 
21. Philippines 
22. Polynesia-Micronesia 
23. Succulent-Karoo (contains parts of South Africa and Namibia) 
24. Sundaland (spans Borneo, Sumatra, Java, other Indonesian islands, and peninsular Malaysia) 
25. Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena (contains the Galápagos Islands and parts of Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, and Peru) 
26. Western Ghats and Sri Lanka (spans Sri Lanka and parts of western India) 
27. Chilean Winter Rainfall-Valdivian Forests 
28. Forests of East Australia 
29. Horn of Africa 
30. Irano-Anatolian (spans parts of Iran, Turkmenistan, Iraq, Armenia, Georgia, and Turkey) 
31. Japan 
32. Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands (contains parts of the US Southwest and Mexico) 
33. New Caledonia 
34. New Zealand 
35. North American Coastal Plain (spans from Cape Cod to northeastern Mexico) 
36. Southwest Australia 

In total, these 36 hotspots make up just 2.5% of the planet’s land surface, but they contain more than half of the world’s plant species as endemics, meaning they’re found nowhere else. These ecosystems also support 43% of all mammal, bird, reptile, and amphibian species as endemics.  

The Tropical Andes hotspot has the most diverse array of species in the world. It contains about one-sixth of all plant species. 

Why are biodiversity hotspots important? 

Unfortunately, more than 40% of the animal species found in biodiversity hotspots are at high risk of extinction, and almost 25% are at very high risk—all due to climate change. 

Biodiversity loss is one of the biggest threats to the planet and humanity. The concept of biodiversity hotspots is important because it provides a tool for conservation organisations to identify and focus their efforts on the most important areas that support our planet’s biodiversity. 

In addition to thousands of native plants and animals, biodiversity hotspots are home to a total of about 2 billion people. This includes some of the world’s most impoverished communities that rely on healthy ecosystems for their lives and livelihoods.  

Biodiversity hotspots provide vital ecosystem services like climate regulation, shade, food, clean water, soil, and pollination. One estimate suggests that they provide over one third of the ecosystem services relied upon by the world’s most vulnerable people. Additionally, 80% of the planet’s biodiversity is held in lands and waters conserved by Indigenous peoples and local communities. 

Biodiversity is crucial not just for people, but also for animals themselves. Different species rely on each other for food, and some species even act as ecosystem engineers, providing access to habitats and water sources to other animals. Plants also rely on animals for pollination and fertilisation just as animals rely on them for sustenance.  

Every species in an ecosystem is interconnected, and without biodiversity, an ecosystem will fail to function. That’s why we need to protect and preserve these critical hotspots. 

Why are biodiversity hotspots in danger? 

Biodiversity hotspots face threats due to several factors, many of which involve human activity. One significant issue is habitat loss and fragmentation. Due to things like the construction of roads, agricultural development, and urbanisation, what were once vast swathes of natural habitat become reduced to small patches of land. Populations of animals become divided, and many species struggle to find the resources that were once available to them. 

Another threat is the degradation of habitats through extractive activities like logging and hunting. These biodiversity hotspots often contain protected areas where extraction of resources is restricted or wholly illegal. However, poaching and other illegal activities often occur, which degrade the ecosystems. 

Climate change is also a major threat to biodiversity hotspots. Rising temperatures are jeopardising the survival of up to one million species of wildlife worldwide. Climate change is also increasing the unpredictability and severity of disasters like wildfires, hurricanes, droughts, and floods, all of which can strand, orphan, and lead to the deaths of animals. 

Our work in biodiversity hotspots 

IFAW works around the world to help create a better future for animals, people, and the planet. Many of our projects take place in biodiversity hotspots. 

In the Caribbean and Latin America, we are working to fight wildlife crime, rescue animals impacted by hurricanes, and train budding conservationists through our Conservation Leadership in the Caribbean (CLiC) project. 

Across the US and Canada, including within the North American Coastal Plain, we work to protect predators like wolves and coyotes. In the Mediterranean Basin, we’ve worked to rescue native wildlife from disasters like floods and fires. We work in Southeast Asia, including in the Indo-Burma and Sundaland hotspots, to disrupt wildlife trafficking networks, protecting animals like orangutans and slow lorises. 

In the Horn of Africa, we are countering cheetah trafficking. In hotspots in southern and East Africa, we’re connecting fragmented landscapes for elephants, rehabilitating orphaned elephant calves, supporting rangers to prevent poaching, and safeguarding coastal ecosystems. 

In Australia, including within the Forests of East Australia hotspot, we’re working to protect koala habitats, rescue animals from bushfires, and rebuild a sanctuary that was destroyed in the Black Summer. 

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