Structured Lists Directory

Overview

Biodiversity Hotspots

Biodiversity hotspots, a concept proposed by Norman Myers in 1988, are 36 regions selected based on criteria of high endemic species richness and severe habitat loss. These regions cover only 2.5% of Earth's land surface but support over 50% of the world's plant species and 43% of land vertebrates. Each hotspot has lost at least 70% of its original natural vegetation, making them high priorities for conservation. They are designated and managed by the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF).

biodiversity conservation ecosystem endangered species environmental protection CEPF endemic species
code slug name description countries region
01 tropical-andes Tropical Andes The most biodiverse hotspot in the world. Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, Northern Argentina South America
02 tumbes-choco-magdalena Tumbes-Chocó-Magdalena A biodiverse region along the Pacific coast of South America. Panama, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Galápagos Islands South America
03 madrean-pine-oak-woodlands Madrean Pine-Oak Woodlands Pine-oak forest ecosystem in southern North America. USA (Arizona, New Mexico, Texas), Mexico North America
04 cerrado Cerrado Brazil's vast savanna ecosystem. Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay South America
05 chilean-winter-rainfall-valdivian-forests Chilean Winter Rainfall-Valdivian Forests Temperate rainforests of Chile and Argentina. Chile, Argentina South America
06 atlantic-forest Atlantic Forest Rich forest ecosystem along Brazil's eastern coast. Brazil, Argentina, Paraguay South America
07 mesoamerica Mesoamerica Rich forest ecosystem of Central America. Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, Panama Central America
08 caribbean-islands Caribbean Islands Ecosystem of Caribbean islands. Bahamas, Cuba, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, other Caribbean islands Central America & Caribbean
09 california-floristic-province California Floristic Province Mediterranean climate region of North America's west coast. USA (California, Oregon), Mexico (Baja California) North America
10 north-american-coastal-plain North American Coastal Plain The 36th hotspot designated in 2016. USA, Mexico North America
11 guinean-forests-west-africa Guinean Forests of West Africa Forest ecosystem of West Africa's coast. Benin, Côte d'Ivoire, Ghana, Guinea, Liberia, Nigeria, Sierra Leone, Togo Africa
12 cape-floristic-region Cape Floristic Region A plant-diverse region at the southern tip of South Africa. South Africa Africa
13 succulent-karoo Succulent Karoo A region rich in succulent plants in South Africa. South Africa, Namibia Africa
14 maputaland-pondoland-albany Maputaland-Pondoland-Albany Ecosystem of South Africa's southeastern coast. South Africa, Mozambique, Eswatini Africa
15 coastal-forests-eastern-africa Coastal Forests of Eastern Africa Forest ecosystem of Africa's eastern coast. Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Somalia Africa
16 eastern-afromontane Eastern Afromontane Mountain ecosystem of East Africa. Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, Zambia, Malawi, Zimbabwe, Mozambique Africa
17 horn-of-africa Horn of Africa Arid region ecosystem of Northeast Africa. Ethiopia, Eritrea, Djibouti, Somalia Africa
18 madagascar-indian-ocean-islands Madagascar and Indian Ocean Islands Ecosystem of Madagascar and surrounding islands. Madagascar, Comoros, Seychelles, Mauritius, Réunion Africa
19 mediterranean-basin Mediterranean Basin The world's richest plant diversity region. Spain, Portugal, France, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, others Europe, Asia & Africa
20 caucasus Caucasus Mountain region at the Europe-Asia boundary. Russia, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia, Turkey, Iran Europe & Asia
21 irano-anatolian Irano-Anatolian Mountain ecosystem of the Middle East. Iran, Azerbaijan, Turkey, Armenia, Iraq, Turkmenistan Asia
22 mountains-of-central-asia Mountains of Central Asia High mountain ecosystem of Central Asia. Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Afghanistan, China Asia
23 western-ghats-sri-lanka Western Ghats and Sri Lanka Ecosystem of western India and Sri Lanka. India, Sri Lanka Asia
24 himalaya Himalaya Mountain ecosystem including the world's highest peaks. India, China, Bhutan, Nepal, Pakistan, Myanmar, Afghanistan, Bangladesh Asia
25 mountains-of-southwest-china Mountains of Southwest China Mountain ecosystem of southwest China. China, Myanmar Asia
26 indo-burma Indo-Burma One of the world's largest hotspots. India, Bangladesh, China, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Malaysia Asia
27 sundaland Sundaland Ecosystem of Southeast Asian islands and peninsula. Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Thailand Asia
28 wallacea Wallacea Ecosystem of eastern Indonesian islands. Indonesia, East Timor Asia
29 philippines Philippines Ecosystem of the Philippine archipelago. Philippines Asia
30 japan Japan Ecosystem of the Japanese archipelago. Japan Asia
31 southwest-australia Southwest Australia Mediterranean climate region of southwestern Australia. Australia Oceania
32 east-melanesian-islands East Melanesian Islands Ecosystem of islands northeast of Australia. Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Papua New Guinea Oceania
33 new-zealand New Zealand Unique ecosystem of the New Zealand islands. New Zealand Oceania
34 new-caledonia New Caledonia The world's smallest hotspot. France (New Caledonia) Oceania
35 polynesia-micronesia Polynesia-Micronesia Ecosystem of South Pacific islands. Fiji, Samoa, Tonga, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Palau, other Pacific islands Oceania
36 forests-of-east-australia Forests of East Australia Forest ecosystem of Australia's east coast. Australia Oceania

36 critical ecosystem regions covering only 2.5% of Earth's land surface but supporting over half of the world's plant species.