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Global Biodiversity Conservation: The Critical Role of Hotspots

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Biodiversity Hotspots

Abstract

Global changes, from habitat loss and invasive species to anthropogenic climate change, have initiated the sixth great mass extinction event in Earth’s history. As species become threatened and vanish, so too do the broader ecosystems and myriad benefits to human well-being that depend upon biodiversity. Bringing an end to global biodiversity loss requires that limited available resources be guided to those regions that need it most. The biodiversity hotspots do this based on the conservation planning principles of irreplaceability and vulnerability. Here, we review the development of the hotspots over the past two decades and present an analysis of their biodiversity, updated to the current set of 35 regions. We then discuss past and future efforts needed to conserve them, sustaining their fundamental role both as the home of a substantial fraction of global biodiversity and as the ultimate source of many ecosystem services upon which humanity depends.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Conservation International, 2011 Crystal Dr. Ste 500, Arlington, VA, 22202, USA

    Russell A. Mittermeier, Will R. Turner & Frank W. Larsen

  2. NatureServe, Arlington, VA, 22209, USA

    Thomas M. Brooks

  3. World Agroforestry Center (ICRAF), University of the Philippines Los Baños, Laguna, 4031, Philippines

    Thomas M. Brooks

  4. School of Geography and Environmental Studies, University of Tasmania, Hobart, TAS, 7001, Australia

    Thomas M. Brooks

  5. National Fish and Wildlife Foundation, Washington, DC, 20005, USA

    Claude Gascon

Authors
  1. Russell A. Mittermeier
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  2. Will R. Turner
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  3. Frank W. Larsen
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  4. Thomas M. Brooks
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  5. Claude Gascon
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Correspondence to Russell A. Mittermeier .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. , Mammal Collection, Natural History Museum Vienna, Burgring 7, Vienna, 1010, Austria

    Frank E. Zachos

  2. Naturelle, Luxembourg, Musée National de Histoire, rue Münster 25, Luxembourg, 2106, Luxembourg

    Jan Christian Habel

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Mittermeier, R.A., Turner, W.R., Larsen, F.W., Brooks, T.M., Gascon, C. (2011). Global Biodiversity Conservation: The Critical Role of Hotspots. In: Zachos, F., Habel, J. (eds) Biodiversity Hotspots. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-642-20992-5_1

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