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Biodiversity Hotspots. “The most remarkable places on Earth are also the most threatened.”. Definition. Contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants Has lost at least 70 percent of its original habitat. Causes. Unsustainable Consumption in northern countries Extreme poverty in Tropics.
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Biodiversity Hotspots “The most remarkable places on Earth are also the most threatened.”
Definition • Contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants • Has lost at least 70 percent of its original habitat.
Causes • Unsustainable Consumption in northern countries • Extreme poverty in Tropics
Biodiversity Hot-Spots The hotspots represent an opportunity to help conserve the diversity of life on earth
The List • These 34 hot spots account for 2.3% of the Earth’s land area, yet over 50% of Earth’s plants and 40% of its land vertebrates.
The List (cont.) • North and Central America • California Floristic Province • Caribbean Islands • Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands • Mesoamerica
The List (cont.) • South America • Atlantic Forest • Cerrado • Chilean Winter Rainfall-Valdivian Forests • Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena • Tropical Andes
The List (cont.) • Africa • Cape Floristic Region • Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa • Eastern Afromontane • Guinean Forests of West Africa • Horn of Africa • Madagascar and the Indian Ocean Islands • Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany • Succulent Karoo
A Few Helpful Definitions • Unique - Applying exclusively to an area. • Endemic - Native to a certain region. • Keystone species - central supporting element of a whole ecosystem; removal may have far reaching consequences. • Terrestrial – On land.