Important criteria for a region to be a hotspot: i)Vascular endemic plants ii)Primary vegetation. 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. EVOLUTION OF BIODIVERSITY THREE IMPORATANT STAGES: INTRODUCTION DEVELOPMENT UPDATION ENDEMIC SPECIES: Species that have very restricted distribution and are found relatively small ranges THE 34 TERRESTRIAL HOTSPOTS B i o d i v e r s i t y
H o t s p o t s
34 HOTSPOTS ARE: 1) Atlantic Forest 2) California Floristic Province 3) Cape Floristic Province 4) Caribbean Islands 5) Caucasus 6) Brazilian Cerrado 7) Central Chile 8) Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa 9) East Melanesian Islands 10) Eastern African Afromantane 11) Guinean Forests of West Africa 12) Himalayas 13) Horn of Africa 14) Indo-Burma 15) Irano-Anatolia 16) Japan 17) Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands 18) Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands 19) Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany 20) Mediterranean Basin 21) Mesoamerica 22) Mountains of Central Asia 23) Hengduan Mountains of Southwest China 24) New Caledonia 25) New Zealand 26) Philippines 27) Polynesia-Micronesia 28) Southwest Australia 29) Succulent Karoo 30) Sundaland 31) Tropical Andes 32) Tumbs-Choc-Magdalena 33) Wallacea 34) Western Ghats and Sri Lanka
THE 11 MARINE HOTSPOTS h t t p : / / w w w . s t a r f i s h . c h / r e e f / h o t s p o t s . h t m l
The 11 Marine Hotspots 1) Philippines 2) Sundaland Islands 3) Wallacea 4) Gulf of Guinea 5) Southern Mascarene Islands 6) Eastern South Africa 7) North Indian Ocean 8) Southern Japan, Taiwan and Southern China 9) Cape Verde Islands 10) Western Caribbean 11) Red Sea and Gulf of Aden REASONS FOR HIGH CONCENTRATION OF HOTSPOTS (TROPICAL REGIONS) 1. High diversity 2. High degree of endemism 3. Land availability 4. Habitat loss and destruction 5. Biological accomodation 6. Region of occurrences 7. Share characteristics 8. Climatic conditions 9. Canopy 10.Availability of plant species 11.Social and economical issues
DISTRIBUTION OF ENDEMIC (RARE) TERRESTRIAL SPECIES AND FRESHWATER FISH-PLANTS Tropical Andes Hotspot
Sundaland Hotspot
Cape Floral Kingdom
h t t p : / / w w w . b i o d i v e r s i t y h o t s p o t s . o r g / x p / H o t s p o t s /
Distribution of Endemic (rare) Terrestrial Species and Freshwater Fish-Mammals Sundaland hotspot Madagascar and indian ocean islands hotspot Wallacea hotspot
Distribution of Endemic (rare) Terrestrial Species and Freshwater Fish-Birds
Distribution of Endemic (rare) Terrestrial Species and Freshwater Fish-Birds Tropical Andes hotspot Wallacea hotspot Overexploitation of resources Pollution Loss/Degradation of habitat Extinction of species due to aggressive non-native species Global environmental changes Fragmentation Poaching Economic and social causes Deforestration Threats in terrestrial areas Degradation, destruction and fragmentation of natural habitats Decrease in the capacity of the agricultural areas to host wildlife Pollution of soils, air and water Invasions by alien species Epidemics affecting wildlife Climate change Dessication of soils and wetlands Recreation and leisure Threats in marine areas Overfishing and decline of species Pollution and eutrophication Degradation and destruction of the sea floor Alien species introductions Leisure and tourism
CONSERVATION Priority identification of regions Protection of areas Incentive measures Ecotourism mutually beneficial
(Yale Agrarian Studies Series) Jessica Barnes, Michael R. Dove-Climate Cultures - Anthropological Perspectives On Climate Change-Yale University Press (2015)