HOTSPOTS OF

SUBMITTED BY:
HARPREET SINGH
ROLL NO-16
M.Sc(P) 1
 Contents
• Introduction
• Criteria
• Some facts
• Importance of biodiversity
• World biodiversity Hotspots
• Indian hotspots of biodiversity
• Western Ghats
• Eastern Himalayas
• Indo-burma region
• Andaman and Nicobar islands
• Threats and conservation
• Conclusion
• References
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Biodiversity hotspot –
 a bio-geographical region with high species
richness as well as high species endemism and
which is under serious threat.
.
Concept was first developed by Norman Myers
in 1988.
He defines hotspots as “Earth’s richest and
most endangered terrestrial ecoregions.”
The list of the 35 biodiversity hotspots was put
together by scientists for the non-profit-
organization Conservation International (CI).
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 Criteria for a hot spot
1. it must contain at least 1,500 species
of vascular plants (> 0.5 percent of
.
the world's total) as endemics.
2. and it has to have lost at least 70
percent of its original habitat.

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Hotspots :
 Most of the hotspots lie in the tropical region.
 Once stretched across 15.7 % of earth’s surface.
 86 % of the hotspots’ original habitat has already been
destroyed.
 Now just 2.3% of Earth’s surface area but support more
than 60% of the world’s biodiversity
 More than 50% vascular plants and 43% of bird,
mammal, reptile and amphibian species as endemics.
 Are home to around 2 billion people.
 Provide crucial ecosystem services e.g. clean water,
pollination and climate regulation.
 Valued at app. $1.59 trillion per year (in 2005 dollars).
(bywww.cepf.net)5
 Importance of Biodiversity
 Food
 Goods like fuel, timber, paper
 Ecological services
 Recreation:- wildlife tourism, bird-watching
 Medicines: - More than 60% population depends directly on
plants for medicines.
 Microbes are used for cleaning oil spills, toxic waste, extracting
metals from ores etc.

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World Biodiversity Hotspots

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 The 34 Terrestrial Hotspots
19) Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany
1) Atlantic Forest 20) Mediterranean Basin
2) California Floristic Province
21) Mesoamerica
3) Cape Floristic Province
22) Mountains of Central Asia
4) Caribbean Islands
5) Caucasus 23) Hengduan Mountains of Southwest China

6) Brazilian Cerrado 24) New Caledonia

7) Central Chile 25) New Zealand
8) Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa 26) Philippines
9) East Melanesian Islands 27) Polynesia-Micronesia
10) Eastern African Afromantane 28) Southwest Australia
11) Guinean Forests of West Africa 29) Succulent Karoo
12) Himalayas
30) Sundaland
13) Horn of Africa
31) Tropical Andes
14) Indo-Burma
32) Tumbès-Chocò-Magdalena
15) Irano-Anatolia
16) Japan 33) Wallacea
17) Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands 34) Western Ghats and Sri Lanka
18) Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands 35) Forests of East Australia 8
 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
Indian Biodiversity
Hotspots

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 Western Ghats
About 16,000 km sq. along the strip of
forest of sea side spreading in
Maharashtra, Karnataka and Kerala.
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Plants: Out of 49219, about 1600
species are endemic.
Birds: 35 species endemic out of 450.
Mammals: 20 out of 140 species are
endemic.
Reptiles: 175 endemic out of 260
species
Amphibians: 130 Out of 175 are
endemic.
Fresh water fishes: 190 out of 240
species endemic.
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Western Ghat snail Malabar pit viper

Lion tailed macaque Malabar parakeet

12
GREEN BILLED COUCAL

WHISTLING THRUSH
13
LAUGHING THRUSH
SPOT B PELICAN

LESSER ADJUTANT
14
LION TAILED MACAQUE

NILGIRI TAHR
15
MALABAR CIVET
ASIAN ELEPHANT

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 Eastern Himalayas
• Comprises of Nepal, Bhutan,
states of East and North-East Water buffalo
India, and a contiguous
sector of Yunnan Province in
South-Western China.
• Plants: 10,000 species, out of
which 3,500 are endemic.
• Birds: Out of 980 species, 15
are endemic.
• Mammals: About 300
species found.
• Reptiles: 175 species found
and 50 are endemic.
• Amphibians: 105 species
found, 40 are endemic.
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Asiatic wild dog White bellied heron

Snow leopard Swamp deer

19
MAHASEER

20
 AVES
HIMALAYAN QUILL

WESTERN TRAGOPAN
21
CHEST NUT BREASTED PARTRIDGE
ORANGE BULLFINCH

RUST
TROATED WRENBABBLER

22
WHITE WINGED DUCK
BENGAL FLORICAN

23
GOLDEN LANGUR
HIMALAYAN TAHR

PYGMY HOG

24
NAMADAPHA FLYING SQUIRREL
SLOTH BEAR

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 Indo-Burma Region
• Tropical Asia east of the
Ganges-Brahmaputra lowlands.
• Ranks among the world’s top 10
biodiversity “hotspots”,
• Plants: 13,500 vascular species,
of which about 7,000 are
endemic.
• Birds: Out of 1260 species, 60
are endemic.
• Mammals: 430 species, 70
species and 7 genera are
endemic.
• Reptiles: 200 species out of 520
are endemic.
• Amphibians: 150 out of 280
species are endemic. 26
 Andaman and Nicobar islands
• covers parts of Malaysia, Palm civet
Thailand, Singapore,
Indonesia, the Nicobar
Islands
• Home to 2395 species of
plants, 58 species of
mammals, 78 species (13
endemic) of reptiles, 18
species of amphibians (9
endemic), 270 species of
birds(126 endemic)

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Nicobar Scrubfowl Andaman crake
REPTILES
GEKKONIDAE
.
 Threats to Biodiversity

 Habitat destruction and fragmentation

 Conversion of forests and grasslands to
agriculture land
 Global climate change
 Unsustainable harvesting and over exploitation of
natural resources
 Illegal hunting and poaching
 Pollution
 Disease
 Introduction of alien species
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 Conservation
 Hotspots are a tool for setting conservation priorities. Because
endemic species are found only in one place, protecting them
requires preserving the areas in which they live.
 In-situ and ex-situ conservation i.e. protection of areas through
establishment of reserves, national parks, botanical gardens, heritage
sites etc.
 By using traditional knowledge of plants, medicine, wildlife of local
people to develop new products.
 Sustainable use of resources, rehabilitation and restoration of
degraded ecosystems.
 Ecotourism- mutually beneficial.
 By preventing the introduction of alien species.
 Educating people about the values of biodiversity.
 Individually, don’t buy any product made from killing endangered
animals.
 Change food habits. Always buy local varieties of food, fruits and
vegetables, than those coming from a place far away.
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 Some organisations for hotspot
conservation
.
1) Conservation
International(CI)

2) Critical Ecosystem
Partnership Fund (CEPF)

3) Birdlife International

4) International Union for

Conservation of Nature
(IUCN)

5) World Wildlife Fund (WWF)

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 Some efforts in biodiversity
conservation
• Convention On International Trade In Endangered
Species Of Wild Fauna And Flora (CITES)
• UN convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS)
• International convention for the Control and
Management of Ships’ Ballast Water and
Sediments
• Convention concerning the Protection of the
World Cultural and Natural Heritage
 Conclusion

 Hotspots are hubs of biodiversity.

 The first step in conservation is the identification of
areas under severe threat and their appropriate
prioritization and therefore protection.
 Awareness must be raised about biodiversity loss and
its conservation at all levels.
 New methods and ideas such as eco-tourism, use of
traditional knowledge of local people can be very
helpful which benefit both the hotspot and the people
of the country in which hotspot occurs.
 REFRENCES
1. Sharma .P.D 2012 ECOLOGY AND
ENVIRONMENT 284-286
2. Singh.J.S, Singh.S.P and Gupta.S.R 2010
Ecology Environment and Resource
Conservation 38
3. www.sciencedirect.com
4. www.conservation.org
5. www.cepf.net
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THANKS

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