How are biodiversity hot spots identified?

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biodiversity loss A sea turtle swimming over a bleached coral seascape near Heron Island, February 2016.

Biodiversity hot spots are regions identified for their high levels of biodiversity and the urgent need for conservation due to significant threats.1

The concept, introduced by British conservationist Norman Myers, relies on two primary criteria to qualify a region as a hot spot:1

High Endemism: The area must host at least 1,500 species of endemic vascular plants—species that are unique to that specific location and found nowhere else.1
Significant Habitat Loss: The region must have lost 70 percent or more of its primary vegetation as a result of human activities.1

By focusing on these specific, irreplaceable areas, conservationists aim to systematically prevent large-scale extinctions. While Myers's criteria remain a standard for organizations like Conservation International, other frameworks exist, such as the World Wildlife Fund's "Global 200," which considers additional factors like species richness, habitat rarity, and unusual evolutionary phenomena.1