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15.10. BIODIVERSITY HOT SPOTS

Biodiversity hot spot concept was put forth by Norman Myers in 1988


To qualify as a hot spot, a region must meet two strict criteria:


a. Species endemism - it must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants (> 0.5% of the world’s total) as endemics, and

b. Degree of threat - it has to have lost at least 70% of its original habitat.


Each biodiversity hot spot represents a remarkable universe of extraordinary floral and faunal endemic-ity struggling to survive in rapidly shrinking ecosystems.

Over 50 percent of the world’s plant species and 42 percent of all terrestrial vertebrate species are

endemic to the 35 biodiversity hot spots.


 

15.10.1. The hottest hot spotsFactors1. The Eastern Himalayas Hot Spot About the region:2. Indo-Burma3. Western Ghats and Sri Lanka: