What Is The Definition Of Biodiversity Hotspot

The term biodiversity hotspot specifically refers to 25.

What is the definition of biodiversity hotspot. In other words it must be threatened. Biodiversity hotspots are home to unique flora and fauna most of which are endemic to the particular environment. The idea of defining hotspots is generally credited to the ecologist norman myers who suggested that global conservation efforts should be concentrated in areas where there were high numbers of endemic species and the threat to those species was high. 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.

Yet biodiversity hotspots are by definition in a conservation crisis. The term biodiversity hotspot actually refers to 25 biologically rich regions around the world which have lost at least 70 percent of their original habitat. A biodiversity hotspot is a region of the earth that is extremely biologically diverse and also under severe threat due to habitat loss climate change or extensive species loss. To be classified as a biodiversity hotspot a region must have lost at least 70 percent of its original natural vegetation usually due to human activity.

These are places where cepf s relatively small investments can help move the needle in a meaningful way toward sustainable conservation. A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is threatened by human habitation. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot a region must meet two strict criteria. Biodiversity hotspots are home to thousands of irreplaceable species that are facing multiple urgent threats.

A hotspot in other words is irreplaceable. It must have at least 1 500 vascular plants as endemics which is to say it must have a high percentage of plant life found nowhere else on the planet. Biodiversity hotspots make up about 2 3 percent of earth s land surface but 44 percent of the world s plants and 35 percent of land vertebrates live in these regions. Most plants in a biodiversity hotspot are endemic meaning they are not found anywhere else on earth.

It must have 30 or less of its original natural vegetation. A biodiversity hotspot is an area with a relatively high biodiversity value.