Species are the building blocks of Earth's life-support systems. We all depend on them. What are biodiversity hotspots? To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot, a region must meet two strict criteria: It must have at least 1, vascular plants as endemics — which is to say, it must have a high percentage of plant life found nowhere else on the planet. A hotspot, in other words, is irreplaceable. In other words, it must be threatened. Why Do Biodiversity Hotspots Matter?
Yet the hotspots remain important in our work for two important reasons: Biodiversity underpins all life on Earth. Without species, there would be no air to breathe, no food to eat, no water to drink. There would be no human society at all. And as the places on Earth where the most biodiversity is under the most threat, hotspots are critical to human survival. The classification of ecological hotspots within the UNB is based on four main criteria:.
The preliminary ecological hotspots in the Upper Niger Basin are presented in the map below, and the interactive viewer with information on protected areas and biodiversity. It shows the network of protected areas, including the Haut Niger N. The delineation of proposed Ramsar sites in Guinea is unclear see Klop et al. Many of the riverine areas host temporal wetland habitats and Gallery forest along the rivers.
In the northern parts this is often no more than a thin strip of a few trees bordering the water, but in the southern sections some well-developed gallery forests are present. These patches of gallery forest provide important habitat to several forest species in a matrix of open savanna and agricultural fields. There is hardly any information on the ecosystems and biodiversity of the headwaters of the Bani tributaries, expect some scarce information on protected areas.
Preliminary ecological hotspots in the Upper Niger Basin, see the text for explanation. Mafou Forest might represent one of the last remnants of mature dry forest in the wider region, providing habitat to species such as the critically endangered West African Chimpanzee Pan troglodytes verus. Many parts of Haut Niger N. The field visits to these parts of the park indicated high levels of human activity, including hunting, logging, savanna burning, fishing, gold mining, cattle grazing, slash-and-burn agriculture, beekeeping, collection of grass and firewood, etc.
No wild mammals like duikers or primates were observed in the park, indicating high hunting pressure. Several large mammals have already been extirpated from the area, including African savanna elephant and most likely Lion.
Given the lack of staff and resources, effective conservation and protected area management in Guinea is a major challenge. From several studies it is clear that the entire IND can be regarded as an ecological hotspot harbouring outstanding biodiversity and significant parts of globally threatened water bird populations Zwarts et al. The floodplain area has been designated as a Ramsar site in Using information on vulnerable sites and species, key areas within the delta have been identified to prioritise and stimulate an effective management of the area.
The classification is based on four criteria:. The preliminary ecological key structures in the IND are presented in the map below, and the interactive viewer with information on protected areas and biodiversity. In any case, scientists agree that, despite the great number of species that have already been discovered, it is likely that there is an even larger number of species yet to be discovered. When we are trying to protect the biodiversity on our planet, knowing how many species are out there is as important as knowing how and where they are distributed around the globe, so that we can decide which areas of the planet are priorities for conservation , especially if we cannot protect every area.
With the enormous number of species that exists on Earth, it is remarkable that the distribution of these species is so highly concentrated in specific areas. Species richness , the total number of species found in an area, is not evenly distributed around the globe: two-thirds of all known species occur in tropical areas , especially in tropical forests [ 2 ], even though the causes of such uneven distribution are still a matter of debate.
In order to prioritize the areas that should be protected, scientists look for areas that are home to a large number of species, especially those species that are under threat of extinction or that are currently being destroyed at a fast pace. These areas that are particularly important for biodiversity conservation are called biodiversity hotspots.
Two things are crucial when determining that a place is a biodiversity hotspot: i the number of different species there; and ii whether species in that area are endangered or currently being destroyed. Figure 1 shows the location of 36 biodiversity hotspots, according to the Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund. Scientists have observed that, even though biodiversity hotspots make up only approximately 1.
Species that found only in a certain geographical area are known as endemic species , and biodiversity hotspots are full of them! For example, the Banana Tree Frog can only be found in Ethiopia, and you will only find lemurs in Madagascar [ 5 ].
Tropical forests are typically biodiversity hotspots and are usually filled with endemic species. Figure 2 shows some examples of biodiversity hotspots and some of their endemic animals and plants. In addition to land, the waters surrounding these tropical regions are just as important, and equally in danger [ 4 ]. Tropical coral reefs are currently being threatened by climate change and habitat destruction.
These areas are some of the most biodiverse ecosystems on our planet! Scientific studies of 3, marine species in these areas, including fishes, corals, snails, and lobsters, show that high percentages of these species are at serious risk of becoming extinct [ 7 ]. CEPF previously invested in 15 hotspots:. An Endangered green sea turtle Chelonia mydas hatchling off of Moorea Island.
See All Projects. Endangered giant sequoia Sequoiadendron giganteum at Yosemite National Park. Boyd's forest dragon Hypsilurus boydii , a nocturnal arboreal lizard.
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