Five hotbeds of biodiversity

Biodiversity is biological diversity - an area having a large number of varied life forms.  Biologists and conservation groups are concerned with regions deemed ‘biodiversity hotspots,’ which are threatened.  Hotspots require two main criteria: at least 1500 vascular plant species(that have a system to transport nutrients and water) with over half endemic to the region, or found only there.  They also have lost over 70% of their original habitat. Here are five of the highest biodiversity ecologies still over 70% intact in the world as identified by Conservation International, a nonprofit environmental organization based in Arlington, VA.

1. Amazon Rain Forest

The Amazon wilderness, which spans nine countries, is renowned for its superlatives: 40,000 plant species, of which the majority are not found anywhere else.  It is also home to more primate species anywhere in the world, possibly more insects as well.  The Brazilian government said in December 2011 that deforestation rates in the Amazon, the world’s largest rainforest, had fallen to the lowest levels since 1988.

2. Congo Basin

Second only to the Amazon in terms of area, the Congo Basin is home to biologically important species from large mammals - antelopes, elephants, and most famously, gorillas - as well as human communities and old growth forests.  With a reach across seven African nations, it is only 11% protected - largely through national parks.

3. New Guinea

Islands often have exceptionally rich biodiversity as does New Guinea - it is the world’s highest and second largest behind Greenland, located in the Southwest Pacific. 1000 species were discovered since 1998 - from birds, butterflies, coral, dolphins, fish, orchids, reptiles, and sharks.

4. North American deserts

The Mojave, Colorado, Chihuahua, Sonoran, and Baja California

deserts that stretch from the southwestern US to Mexico are some of the most biologically diverse in the world, with 6000 vascular plant species, as well as other special types of animals who have adapted to the climate, from bighorn sheep, desert tortoises, kangaroo rats, jackrabbits, roadrunners, and wild horses.

5. Southern Africa

The Miombo-Mopane woodlands and savannahs stretch across ten countries in central southern Africa from Angola to Mozambique. They are home to animal species including the endangered black rhinoceros and almost 80% of all African elephants. This wilderness area is threatened by climate change, drought, development and the need to balance the survival needs of the people who live there with conservation efforts.