. . Hotspots Hotspots are areas characterized with high concentration of endemic species (the organisms which are exclusively restricted to a given area) experiencing unusual rapid rate of habitat modification loss. Norman Myers defined hot spots as “regions that harbour a great diversity of endemic species and at the same time, have been significantly impacted and altered by human activities.” A hotspot is a region that supports at least endemic vascular plant species ( .
% of the global total) has lost more than % of its original vegetation. There are biodiversity hotspots in the world. India is home to four biodiversity hotspots (as per ENVIS). They are a.
Himalaya (the entire Indian Himalayan region) b. Western Ghats c. Indo-Burma: includes entire North-eastern India, except Assam and Andaman group of Islands (and Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and Southern China) d. Sundalands: includes Nicobar group of Islands (and Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, Philippines)