Biodiversity Hotspots In India

As per the IUCN “Red Data List,” there are 36 areas in the world that are qualified as the Biodiversity Hotspots. Of these 36, there are four biodiversity hotspots present in India. Two of them are solely part of India, and rest two are distributed in South Asia.

Himalaya

Himalaya is the youngest and highest mountain chain present on the Earth. It is an arc that stretches across north Pakistan, Nepal, Bhutan, north-west, and north-eastern states of India. Here are some major features of the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot as mentioned below:

• The Himalayan biodiversity hotspot is the most populous with so many large birds and mammals.
• Many unique and diverse human groups are found in this hotspot.
• Mixed conifer and conifer forests are found in the higher hills of the Himalayan biodiversity hotspot.
• Flora: Alpine Meadows, Coniferous Forests, Rhododendron Forests, Temperate Broadleaf Forests, Bamboo Groves, Subtropical and Tropical Forests.
• Fauna: Snow Leopard, Red Panda, Himalayan Tahr, Blue Sheep, Himalayan Monal, Golden Langur, Himalayan Musk Deer, Himalayan Griffon Vulture.

Indo-Burma

Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot includes the entire northeast India, except Assam and Andaman groups of Islands. It also extended to Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, and southern China. Here are some major features of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot as mentioned below:

• The limestone karst formations of this region support a highly unique ecosystem.
• Indo-Burma biodiversity hotspot is full of different plants, reptiles, and mollusks.
• In the last 12 years, six new big mammal species have been found in the area including Large-antlered Muntjac, Annamite Muntjac, Grey-shanked Douc, Annamite Striped Rabbit, Leaf Deer and Saola.
• Flora: Teak, Rhododendron arboreum, Amorphophallus titanum, Rafflesia arnoldii, Orchids, Dipterocarp trees, Pitcher plants.
• Fauna: Bengal Tiger, Asian Elephant, Irrawaddy Dolphin, Red Panda, Clouded Leopard, Gaur, Gibbons, Hornbills, Pygmy Hog, Sumatran Rhinoceros.

Western Ghats

The Western Ghats are also referred to as the Sahyadri Hills. They are made up of the Malabar Plains. It is a group of mountains that extend 30 to 50 kilometers inland and parallel to India’s western coast. Some parts of this region fall under Sri Lanka also. Here are some details as mentioned below:

• The Western Ghats has became a World Heritage Site.
• The Western Ghats regulates the southwestern monsoon winds and control the rain amount on peninsular India.
• As per the UNESCO, Western Ghats is the home to at least 325 globally threatened flora, fauna, bird, amphibian, reptile and fish species.
• Flora: Black pepper, Sandalwood, Shola forests, Ceylon tea, Ceylon cinnamon.
• Fauna: Lion-tailed macaque, Malabar Giant Squirrel, Indian rock python, Sri Lankan Leopard, Purple-faced langur, Sri Lankan Frogmouth.

Sundalands

The Sundaland hotspot covers a small portion of south Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, Brunei, and the western part of Indonesia. India’s Nicobar Islands are part of the Sundaland hotspot. Here are some major details as mentioned below:

• The hotspot is the home of so many iconic species.
• In Borneo, there are so many endangered species found including Orangutans, Pig-tailed langurs, Javan, Sumatran rhinos, and Proboscis monkeys.
• The world’s largest flowers are generally found in the Sundaland like Rafflesia.
• Flora: Rafflesia arnoldii, Durian trees, Dipterocarp trees, Orchids, Pitcher plants.
• Fauna: Sumatran Tiger, Bornean Orangutan, Sumatran Elephant, Sunda Clouded Leopard, Proboscis Monkey.

Biodiversity Hotspots are biogeographical areas that have rich biodiversity and are threatened by different destruction like overexploitation, climate change, pollution, and other human activities. The word “Biodiversity Hotspot” was first coined by the British biologist Norman Myers in 1988.

As per the IUCN “Red Data List,” there are around 36 areas in the world that are qualified as the Biodiversity Hotspots. These Biodiversity Hotspots represent only 2.3% of the total Earth’s surface. They contain around 50% endemic flora and 42% endemic fauna of the whole Earth.