There are places on Earth that are both biologically rich — and deeply threatened. For our own sake, we must work to protect them.
Conservation International
Diversity – biological as well as social, linguistic and cultural diversity – is the central to sustainable development and human welfare. It also is key to resilience – the ability of natural and social systems to adapt to change. Biodiversity therefore is an integral part of the diversity of our lives, linking human and physical environments of our planet. The hotspots of biodiversity identified by Conservation International aim to draw a picture of the richest and the most threatened reservoirs of plant and animal life on earth.
Shown in this map are the major biodiversity hotspot regions in relation to the global population distribution. The map shows a gridded population cartogram which gives equal space to each person living on this planet. It therefore is a representation of the most threatened unique ecosystems in their setting in and around human populations. This gives one insight into the immediate human impact on these vulnerable areas of the world’s biosphere.
