Biodiversity Hotspots of India

📖 What makes a "biodiversity hotspot"

A region qualifies as a biodiversity hotspot (a concept introduced by ecologist Norman Myers in 1988, adopted by Conservation International) if it contains at least 1,500 endemic plant species and has already lost at least 70% of its original habitat — meaning it is both exceptionally biodiverse and exceptionally threatened.

🌏 India's four hotspots

• Western Ghats — running along India's western coast, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, home to exceptional amphibian and plant endemism.
• Himalaya — spanning the entire Himalayan range, rich in endemic flora adapted to altitude gradients.
• Indo-Burma — covering India's North-East, extending into Myanmar and beyond.
• Sundaland — India's part lies in the Nicobar Islands only (the rest of Sundaland covers Indonesia, Malaysia, Brunei).

These hotspots collectively cover a small fraction of India's land area but harbour a disproportionately large share of its endemic species.