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BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS The term ‘biodiversity hotspot’ was first coined by Norman Myers (1988). He recognized 10 tropical forests as “hotspots” according to the level of plant endemism and high level of habitat loss. It, however, did not have any quantitative criteria for designating a region’s ecological hotspot.

BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS There are currently 36 recognized biodiversity hotspots. These are Earth’s most biologically rich—yet threatened—terrestrial regions. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, an area must meet two strict criteria: Contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants found nowhere else on Earth (known as "endemic" species). Have lost at least 70 percent of its primary native vegetation. Many of the biodiversity hotspots exceed the two criteria. For example, both the Sundaland Hotspot in Southeast Asia and the Tropical Andes Hotspot in South America have about 15,000 endemic plant species. The loss of vegetation in some hotspots has reached a startling 95 percent..

WHY DOES CEPF WORK ONLY IN BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS? The extinction crisis is vast, and conservation funds are limited, so focus is a critical element of CEPF's approach. Biodiversity hotspots are home to thousands of irreplaceable species that are facing multiple, urgent threats. These are places where CEPF's relatively small investments can help move the needle in a meaningful way toward sustainable conservation..

WHO LIVES IN THE BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS? The 36 biodiversity hotspots are home to around 2 billion people, including some of the world's poorest, many of whom rely directly on healthy ecosystems for their livelihood and well-being. The hotspots provide crucial ecosystem services for human life, such as provision of clean water, pollination and climate regulation. These remarkable regions also hold some of the highest human population densities on the planet, but the relationship between people and biodiversity is not simply one where more people lead to greater impacts on biodiversity. Much of human-biodiversity impacts lies not in human density but rather in human activity..

HOW DID THE CONCEPT OF BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS BEGIN? In 1988, British ecologist Norman Myers published a seminal paper identifying 10 tropical forest “hotspots.” These regions were characterized both by exceptional levels of plant endemism and serious levels of habitat loss. Conservation International, one of CEPF's global donor organizations, adopted Myers’ hotspots as its institutional blueprint in 1989. In 1996, the organization made the decision to undertake a reassessment of the hotspots concept, including an examination of whether key areas had been overlooked. Three years later an extensive global review was undertaken, which introduced quantitative thresholds for the designation of biodiversity hotspots and resulted in the designation of 25..

In 2005, an additional analysis brought the total number of biodiversity hotspots to 34, based on the work of nearly 400 specialists. In 2011, the Forests of East Australia was identified as the 35th hotspot by a team of researchers from the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) working with Conservation International. In February 2016, the North American Coastal Plain was recognized as meeting the criteria and became the Earth's 36th hotspot. Read the announcement..

# Name of the Hotspot Location 1 Tropical Andes South America 2 Tumbes-Choco-Magdalena South America 3 Madrean Pine–Oak Woodlands North and Central America 4 Cerrado South America 5 Chilean Winter Rainfall and Valdivian Forests South America 6 Atlantic Forest South America 7 Mesoamerica North and Central America 8 Caribbean Islands North and Central America 9 California Floristic Province North and Central America 10 Guinean Forests of West Africa Africa 11 Cape Floristic Region Africa 12 Succulent Karoo Africa 13 Maputaland–Pondoland–Albany Africa 14 Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa Africa 15 Eastern Afromontane Africa 16 Horn of Africa Africa 17 Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands Africa.

18 Mediterranean Basin Europe and Central Asia 19 Caucasus Europe and Central Asia 20 Irano-Anatolian Europe and Central Asia 21 Mountains of Central Asia Europe and Central Asia 22 Western Ghats and Sri Lanka South Asia 23 Himalaya South Asia 24 Mountains of Southwest China East Asia 25 Indo-Burma South Asia 26 Sundaland Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific 27 Wallacea Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific 28 Philippines Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific 29 Japan East Asia 30 Southwest Australia Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific 31 East Melanesian Islands Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific 32 New Zealand Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific 33 New Caledonia Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific 34 Polynesia–Micronesia Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific 35 Forests of East Australia Southeast Asia and Asia-Pacific 36 North American Coastal Plain North and Central America.

10 Most Threatened Biodiversity Hotspots in the world 1. Cerrado, Brazil The area of Cerrado in Brazil is the largest woodland savannah in South America. It is home to 10 endemic birds that are threatened along with 4,400 endemic plant species. Some of the unique species found in Cerrado include the giant armadillo, jaguar, and the giant anteater..

2. Polynesia-Micronesia, Southern Pacific Ocean The hotspot covers an area of 41,285 kilometers and includes coral atolls, coastal wetlands, savannas, and tropical rainforests. Conservation international describes Polynesia-Micronesia hotspot as the “epicenter of the present global extinction crisis” with 90 endemic birds being threatened and 25 birds already extinct in the last two centuries as a result of overhunting, invasive species and other reasons of wildlife endangerment. 3. Atlantic Forest – Brazil, Paraguay, Argentina, Uruguay The hotspots have 20,000 species of plants, out of which 8,000 are endemic to the region. It also has about 950 birds and many other endangered species. The black-faced Lion Tamarin is among the many species endangered in the Atlantic Forests. The pressure to provide fresh water supply, cattle ranching, and urbanization have also contributed to the continued ravaging of these forests..

4. Indo-Burma – Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia, Vietnam, India, China This hotspot is home to 7,000 endemic plant species that include many other species that are said to be threatened; such as 35 amphibians, 25 mammals, and 10 birds. Over 2.2 million square kilometers of the original habitat is now lost. This means that only 5% of the habitat remains now. Even now, new species are being discovered such as the Annamite Striped rabbit as well as the large-antlered muntjac. 5. Philippines, Pacific Ocean Among the richest area of global biodiversity hotspots are 7100 islands of the Pacific. Only 7% of this habitat is remaining. By having such extensive coverage over the planet, the ecological hotspot inhabits 6,000 endemic species and an indefinite number of bird species including Cebu flower pecker and the Philippine Eagle. Vegetation here is mostly tropical and sub-tropical..

6. Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands, Mexico Originally, the hotspot was located in the mountainous area and extended up to 461,265 square kilometers across Mexico and also a portion of southern USA. However, due to extreme logging being carried out has led to an 80% loss of woodland’s original natural cover. Roughly 4,000 species of endemic plants are left on the Madrean Pine-Oak Woodland, with the ecological hotspot being widely known for being a region consisting of millions of monarch butterflies that seasonally fly around the region..

7. Coastal Forests, Eastern Africa The biodiversity hotspot that makes up the coastal forests, contains a remarkably high degree of biodiversity extending throughout the thin corridor along with the eastern coast of Somalia, Kenya, Mozambique, and Tanzania. The area is home to Tana River mangabey, the Tana River red colobus, and the red colobus of Zanzibar. All three of these are said to be highly endangered primates..

8. Cape Floral Region, South Africa The Cape floral region is located in the Western Cape and is reported to be the biological hotspot which boasts the planet’s largest concentration of diverse plant species per square-kilometer. Even the Amazon cannot compare to the Cape floral region, which has about 9,000 diverse plant species and nearly 1,435 of these plant species have now been cited as threatened and about 6,210 are endemic to the region. 9. Mesoamerica Mesoamerica is located across Mexico, Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvedor, Nicaragua, Costa Rica and Panama. Mesoamerica is a biodiversity hotspot that is tropical as well as sub-tropical. The ecosystem is known to be incredibly bio-diverse in terms of endemic mammals, birds, and amphibians. They also host more than 17,000 plant species. Mesoamerica is habitat to quetzal and the howler monkey. This ecological hotspot used to be 1 million square kilometers but now has shrunk to only 226,000 square kilometers..

Biodiversity Hotspot Protection Efforts Ways to protect these biological hotspots: Building significant awareness within the society to work on biodiversity, communities, and livelihoods. You can do that by practicing Social Forestry. Mainstreaming of biodiversity, communities, and livelihood into development, planning and prioritizing of these hotspots. Innovative and strong responses to illegal wildlife trade Empowering and creating awareness amongst the community to engage in conservation management efforts Safeguard the endemic and priority species by mitigating threats to wildlife endangerment!.

IMPORTANT ENVIRONMENTAL CONVENTIONS OF THE WORLD. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Ramsar Convention on Wetlands. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) IUCN.

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE. Founded in 1963, the IUCN Red List also known as the Red Data List evaluates the biological species in the world which are at the risk of extinction. IUCN aims to focus on the conservation of the world’s species to reduce species extinction. More than 77,300 species have been assessed on the IUCN Red List..

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE. Objectives 1. To provide scientific data on the status of species and subspecies at a global level. To address the factors of concern and spread awareness regarding the species and biodiversity extinction. To plan a layout for the conservation of biodiversity..

The IUCN Red List can be divided into the following 9 categories: Extinct (EX) – No known individuals remaining. Extinct in the wild (EW) – Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range. Critically endangered (CR) – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. Endangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wild. Vulnerable (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wild. Near Threatened (NT) – Likely to become endangered shortly. Least concern (LC) – Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a more at-risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category. Data Deficient (DD) – Not enough data to assess its risk of extinction. Not evaluated (NE) – Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria.

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE. Purpose of the IUCN Red List Data International Agreements such as CITES, Ramsar Convention use the Red List data to make important decisions in sync with the status of nature as and when required. World Bank Group performance standard uses the IUCN Red List data to evaluate the risk of damage to biodiversity due to large-scale infrastructures and global projects. Zoos and National parks use this information to upgrade important policies like parks regulations from time to time..

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE. The users of the IUCN Red List are given below: Government agencies (National & International) Wildlife organizations and departments Conservation-related NGOs Natural resource planners Educational organizations Zoos and aquariums Media Business communities.

INTERNATIONAL UNION FOR CONSERVATION OF NATURE. Latest Updates about IUCN Red List African Elephants species has African Forest Elephant and African Savannah Elephant. IUCN has recently updated the status of both the elephants in the IUCN Red List. African Forest Elephant – Critically Endangered African Savannah Elephant – Endangered Note – Earlier, these two elephants were treated as a single species and were listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List. The IUCN Red List now includes 134,425 species of which 37,480 are threatened with extinction..

Ramsar convention on wetlands Wetlands are areas where water is the primary factor controlling the environment and the associated plant and animal life. They occur where the water table is at or near the surface of the land, or where the land is covered by water. Ramsar Convention on Wetlands Wetlands are areas of marsh, fen, peatland or water, whether natural or artificial, permanent or temporary, with water that is static or slowing, fresh, brackish or salt, including areas of marine water the depth of which at low tide does not exceed six metres..

Ramsar convention on wetlands Five major wetland types are generally recognized: • marine (coastal wetlands including coastal lagoons, rocky shores, seagrass beds and coral reefs); • estuarine (including deltas, tidal marshes and mudflats, and mangrove swamps); • lacustrine (wetlands associated with lakes); • riverine (wetlands along rivers and streams); • palustrine (meaning “marshy” – marshes, swamps and bogs)..

Ramsar convention on wetlands Functions of wetlands: Water storage Storm protection Flood mitigation Drought buffering Shoreline stabilization and erosion control; Groundwater recharge and discharge Water purification Retention of nutrients sediments, and pollutants Stabilization of local climate conditions, particularly rainfall and temperature.

Ramsar convention on wetlands Values Economic benefits -water supply (quantity and quality) Fisheries (over two thirds of the world’s fish harvest is linked to the health of wetland areas) Agriculture, through the maintenance of water tables And nutrient retention in floodplains Timber and other building materials Energy resources, such as peat and plant matter Wildlife resources Transport Herbal medicines Recreation.

CONVENTION ON BIODIVERSITY (CBD) Goals Conservation of Biological Diversity Sustainable use of the components of the Biodiversity Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the genetic resources.

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). CITES was conceptualised in 1963 at a meeting of the (IUCN) International Union For Conservation Of Nature..

Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora appendices..

FAUNA AND FLORA. Flora and fauna are the collections of all plants (flora) and animals (fauna) living in a particular region that interact in various ways to form an ecosystem. Examples of flora include: trees, such as chestnut; shrubs, such as roses; and grasses. Examples of fauna include: mammals, such as bears; fish, such as sharks; and birds, such as eagles..

Classification of life. One branch of biology, called taxonomy, focuses on the classification of living things. There are three domains that include all the living things on Earth. The domains are Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya..

Classification of life. Scientific Nomenclature The International Code of Zoological Nomenclature governs the naming of animals. The International Code of Botanical Nomenclature governs the naming of plants and fungi. The International Code of the Nomenclature of Bacteria governs the naming of bacteria..

Classification of life. Some basic nomenclatural rules that apply to all three codes: In general, organisms are identified by their binomial name, consisting of the genus and species names. The genus name is always capitalized, whereas the species name is not. Both names are always italicized or underlined. Genus names can be abbreviated by their first letter, but species names cannot. For example, after initially referring to the leafy sea dragon, Phyllopteryx eques, it could subsequently be written P. eques. Unknown species are referred to with the abbreviation sp. For example, a seahorse of an unknown species in the genus Hippocampus would be written Hippocampus sp. Note that sp. is not italicized. Some genera have more than one species in them. To refer to multiple species within the same genus, the genus name is followed with the abbreviation spp. A group of seahorses all in the genus Hippocampus could be written Hippocampus spp. Note that spp. is not italicized..

Classification of life. Importance of using scientific names.

Classification of life. Most binomial names are Latin terms. However, some binomial names are Greek, and some are derived from the names of their discoverers or other scientists. Carl Linneaus developed his classification system, almost all educated people were trained in Latin and Greek. No matter what country they came from, people could communicate with one another using these languages.

Classification of life. Latin and Greek terminology is also useful because it tends to be very descriptive of the species in question e.g. Megaptera novaeangliae Identification Keys Although more than two million different species have been identified by scientists, millions more are likely still undiscovered. A dichotomous key is a tool used by scientists to help them identify organisms that are already classified and described..

Classification of life. Phylogenetic Trees The phylogenetic method of classification uses shared, unique characters—heritable features that vary between individuals. Phylogenetics, on the other hand, is focused on showing the evolutionary relationships between organisms.

Classification of life. A phylogenetic tree is a branching diagram used to show the evolutionary relatedness of organisms based on similarities and differences in their characteristics The length of the branches on a phylogenetic tree represents changes in characteristics over evolutionary time..

Classification of life. New monkeys World monkeø Apes and hurnans.

Classification of life. Molecular Phylogenies Advances in biotechnology now allow scientists to use molecular characteristics to organize organisms. Just as scientists use DNA “fingerprints” to assess relatedness of humans in paternity tests, scientists can use genetic markers to assess relatedness of different species..

Classification of life.