Biodiversity Hotspots
By Cynthia Kirkeby
Sep 17, 2006, 19:16 PST
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Around the world there are locations that have been identified as biodiversity hotspots. This means that each of these regions have an unusually high number of endemic (native) species, and at the same time, they have lost more than 70% of their local habitats.
There are too many of these hotspots in our world today. According to Conservation International, “The 25 biodiversity hotspots contain 44 percent of all plant species and 35 percent of all terrestrial vertebrate species in only 1.4 percent of the planet's land.”
There are things that can be done to help save these areas. Perhaps as you study about the science and ecology of our world, you will one day be part of the solution. If not, we may lose these areas forever.
View an interactive map of the globe’s hotspots
Choose the area by location:
North and Central America
Caribbean
California Floristic Province
Mesoamerica
South America
Tropical Andes
Choco-Darien-Western Ecuador
Atlantic Forest
Brazilian Cerrado
Central Chile
Europe and Central Asia
Caucasus
Mediterranean Basin
Africa
Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands
Eastern Arc Mountains and Coastal Forests
Guinean Forests of West Africa
Cape Floristic Region
Succulent Karoo
Mainland Asia
Mountains of Southwest China
Indo-Burma
Western Ghats
Asia-Pacific
Philippines
Sundaland
Wallacea
Southwest Australia
New Zealand
New Caledonia
Polynesia & Micronesia
Source: Conservation International
© Copyright 2006 by Classbrain.com
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