Scribd Logo
Upload

Welcome to Scribd!

  • 18 views

    01-Feb-2021 Biodiversity Hotspots - India

    Uploaded by

    Rahul
    The document discusses biodiversity hotspots, which are regions with a large number of endemic species that are threatened with extinction. It notes that 34 global terrestrial hotspots exist, covering 2% of the earth's land but containing over 50% of the world's plant and animal species. Three hotspots are found in India - the Himalayas, Western Ghats, and Indo-Burma region. These hotspots are home to thousands of unique plant and animal species but are increasingly threatened by habitat loss. International organizations work to conserve biodiversity in these vital hotspots.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    01-Feb-2021 Biodiversity Hotspots - India

    Uploaded by

    Rahul
    18 views21 pages
    The document discusses biodiversity hotspots, which are regions with a large number of endemic species that are threatened with extinction. It notes that 34 global terrestrial hotspots exist, covering 2% of the earth's land but containing over 50% of the world's plant and animal species. Three hotspots are found in India - the Himalayas, Western Ghats, and Indo-Burma region. These hotspots are home to thousands of unique plant and animal species but are increasingly threatened by habitat loss. International organizations work to conserve biodiversity in these vital hotspots.

    Original Title

    01-Feb-2021_Biodiversity_Hotspots-_India

    Copyright

    © © All Rights Reserved

    Available Formats

    PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd

    Did you find this document useful?

    Is this content inappropriate?

    The document discusses biodiversity hotspots, which are regions with a large number of endemic species that are threatened with extinction. It notes that 34 global terrestrial hotspots exist, covering 2% of the earth's land but containing over 50% of the world's plant and animal species. Three hotspots are found in India - the Himalayas, Western Ghats, and Indo-Burma region. These hotspots are home to thousands of unique plant and animal species but are increasingly threatened by habitat loss. International organizations work to conserve biodiversity in these vital hotspots.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    18 views21 pages

    01-Feb-2021 Biodiversity Hotspots - India

    Uploaded by

    Rahul
    The document discusses biodiversity hotspots, which are regions with a large number of endemic species that are threatened with extinction. It notes that 34 global terrestrial hotspots exist, covering 2% of the earth's land but containing over 50% of the world's plant and animal species. Three hotspots are found in India - the Himalayas, Western Ghats, and Indo-Burma region. These hotspots are home to thousands of unique plant and animal species but are increasingly threatened by habitat loss. International organizations work to conserve biodiversity in these vital hotspots.

    Copyright:

    © All Rights Reserved
    Download as PDF, TXT or read online from Scribd
    Download as pdf or txt
    You are on page 1of 21

    BIODIVERSITY

    HOTSPOTS
    By
    Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi., M. Pharma., Ph. D.,
    Environmental Science Professor,
    School of Advanced Sciences
    VIT University
    Vellore- 632014
    Introduction
    ■ To protect the earth’s biodiversity, conservation biologist have
    identified the emergency action plans and protect the biodiversity
    hotspots. – Norman Myers.
    ■ 34 global terrestrial hotspots are there, which covers 2% of the earth’s
    land surface.
    ■ 50 % -world’s flowering plants, 42 % of vertebrates (Mammals, birds,
    reptiles, amphibians)
    ■ Acc. To International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN), large
    majority of world’s endangered or critically endangered species, -92%
    of earth’s amphibians, 86% of birds, 72% of mammals.

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi
    36 Biodiversity Hotspots - Globe

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Since 1964, IUCN -established a “Red List”

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Extinct Species
    ■ Extinct Species: Species that are no longer known to exist in the
    wild.
    ■ https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/world-wildlife-day-2020-
    here-are-7-significant-wildlife-species-that-went-extinct-in-2019-1652013-2020-03-03

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Endangered Species
    ■ Endangered: Species is found less in number and verge to be extinct.
    Eg. Asian elephant, Elephas maximus (endangered).

    Early in the 20th century, perhaps 100,000 elephants roamed across


    Asia. Since then, their population likely has been cut in half. They’re
    killed not just for their ivory tusks but also for their meat and hides—
    and sometimes in retaliation for the damage they do to crops.

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Vulnerable Species
    ■ A vulnerable species is a species which has been categorized by the
    International Union for Conservation of Nature as likely to become
    endangered unless the circumstances that are threatening its survival
    and reproduction improve.
    ■ The Black spider Monkey, Dudong

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Endemic Species
    The Nilgiri tahr (Nilgiritragus
    hylocrius) is an ungulate that is
    endemic to the Nilgiri Hills and the
    southern portion of the Western &
    Eastern Ghats in the states of
    Tamil Nadu and Kerala in Southern
    India. It is the state animal of Tamil
    Nadu.

    The Nilgiri laughing


    thrush (Montecincla
    cachinnans) is a species
    of laughing thrush endemic to
    the high elevation areas of
    the Nilgiris and adjoining hill
    ranges in Peninsular India.

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi
    Hot-Spots of Biodiversity

    Definition: The hot spots are the geographic areas, which possess the high endemic species.

    Criteria for recognizing hot spots

    1. Richness of the endemic species is the primary criterion for recognizing hot spots.
    2. Hot spots should have a significant percentage of specialized species.
    3. Site is under threat.
    4. Should contain gene pools of potentially useful plants.

    Reason for rich biodiversity in the tropics

    1. Tropics have a more stable climate.


    2. Warm temperatures and high humidity provide favorable conditions.
    3. No single species domination, thus giving an opportunity for many species to coexist.
    4. Among plants, rate of out-crossing appear to be higher in tropics.

    Area of hot spot


     The term hot spot was introduced by Myers (1988).
     There are 25 such hot spots of biodiversity on a global level out of which two are present
    in India, namely the Eastern Himalayas and Western Ghats.
     These hot spots covering less than 2% of the world’s land area are found to have about
    50% of the terrestrial biodiversity.
     According to Myers et al (2000) an area is designated as a hotspot when it contains at least
    0.5% of the plant species as endemics.
     About 40% of terrestrial plants and 25% of vertebrate species are endemic and found in the
    hotspots.

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    To Qualify as a Hotspot
    ■ According to CI, to qualify as a hotspot a region must meet two strict
    criteria:
    ■ It must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants (> 0.5% of the
    world’s total) as endemics,
    ■ and it has to have lost at least 70% of its original habitat. In 1999,
    ■ CI identified 25 biodiversity hotspots in the book “Hotspots: Earth’s
    Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions”.
    ■ Collectively, these areas held as endemics about 44% of the world’s
    plants and 35% of terrestrial vertebrates in an area that formerly
    covered only 11.8% of the planet’s land surface.
    ■ The habitat extent of this land area had been reduced by 87.8% of its
    original extent, such that this wealth of biodiversity was restricted to
    only 1.4% of Earth’s land surface.

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS IN INDIA

    1.Himalaya: Includes the entire Indian


    Himalayan region (and that falling in Pakistan,
    Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar)
    2.Indo-Burma: Includes entire North-eastern
    India, except Assam and Andaman group of
    Islands (and Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos,
    Cambodia and southern China)
    3.Sundalands: Includes Nicobar group of
    Islands (and Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore,
    Brunei, Philippines)
    4.Western Ghats and Sri Lanka: Includes entire
    Western Ghats (and Sri Lanka)

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi
    Facts & Figures – Western Ghats
    ■ The Western Ghats are one of the world’s biodiversity hotspots with
    over 5,000 flowering plants, 139 mammals, 508 birds and 179 amphibian
    species.
    ■ At least 325 globally threatened species occur here.
    ■ The range covers 60,000km2 and forms the catchment area for a
    complex of river systems that drain almost 40% of India.
    ■ At 2695m, Mt Anamudi in Kerala, India is the highest peak in the
    Western Ghats.
    ■ The Western Ghats are being considered as a UNESCO World Heritage
    Site.

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Species in Western Ghats

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    The Himalayan Biodiversity Hotspot
    ■ It extends over an arc of 3000 km and includes the entire Indian
    Himalayan region and this region which fall in Paksitan, Tiber, Nepal,
    Bhutan, China and Myanmar.
    ■ The Indian Himalayas Hotspot has eight endemic threatened species, four
    endemic threatened mammals and four endemic threatened amphibians.

    Rafflesia Arnoldii – The Largest Flower in The


    World is in Indonesia
    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi
    Himalayas –Hotspots

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Sundalands- Biodiversity
    ■ Sundaland holds about 25,000 species of vascular plants, 15,000 of which are
    found nowhere else. There are at least 117 endemic plant genera in the
    hotspot; 59 of these endemic genera are found in Borneo, 17 in Sumatra,
    and 41 on the Malay Peninsula.
    ■ Of the approximately 770 bird species that regularly occur in Sundaland,
    nearly 150 are endemic.
    ■ Native species include the Critically Endangered Bali myna.
    ■ Of Sundaland's more than 380 mammal species, more 170 are endemic to
    the hotspot.
    ■ The best known are the orangutans, represented by two species: the
    Critically Endangered Bornean orangutan (Pongo pygmaeus) and the
    Critically Endangered Sumatran orangutan (P. abelii).
    ■ 1,000 known species of freshwater fish in the hotspot.
    ■ 240 species of amphibians, nearly 200 of which are endemic.

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    International Organisations to Conserve
    Biodiversity Hotspots

    • Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)


    • Conservation International (CI)
    • Global 200 Ecoregions(WWF )
    • Bird life International (Endemic Bird Area -
    EBAs)
    • Plant Life International
    • Alliance for Zero Extinction

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi


    Thank You

    Environmental Sciences_Dr. V. Sai Saraswathi

    You might also like

    pFad - Phonifier reborn

    Pfad - The Proxy pFad of © 2024 Garber Painting. All rights reserved.

    Note: This service is not intended for secure transactions such as banking, social media, email, or purchasing. Use at your own risk. We assume no liability whatsoever for broken pages.


    Alternative Proxies:

    Alternative Proxy

    pFad Proxy

    pFad v3 Proxy

    pFad v4 Proxy