Biodiversity
hotspots
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with a
significant reservoir of biodiversity that is under threat
from humans. To qualify as a biodiversity hotspot on Myers 2000 edition of the
hotspot-map, a region must meet two strict criteria:
1. it must contain at least
0.5% or 1,500 species of vascular plants as endemics
2. it has to have lost at
least 70% of its primary vegetation.
Around the world, at
least 25 areas qualify under this definition, with nine others possible
candidates. These sites support nearly 60% of the world's plant, bird, mammal,
reptile, and amphibian species, with a very high share of endemic species.
Three regions that satisfy these criteria exist in India and are described
below.
The
Western Ghats and Sri Lanka
The Lion tailed macaque is a flagship species of the Western
Ghats
About the region: The Western Ghats are a chain of
hills that run along the western edge of peninsular India. Their proximity to
the ocean and through orographic
effect, they receive high rainfall. These regions have moist
deciduous forest and rain
forest. The region shows high species diversity as well as high
levels of endemism. Nearly 77% of the amphibians and 62% of the reptile species
found here are found nowhere else. Sri Lanka, which lies
to the south of India, is also a country rich in species diversity. It has been
connected with India through several past glaciation events by a land bridge
almost 140 kn wide.
How the biodiversity of Western Ghats originated is a still a
puzzle. The region shows biogeographical affinities to the Malayan region.
More recent phylogeographic studies have attempted to study the
origin of Western Ghats using molecular approaches. There
are also differences in taxa which are dependent on time of divergence and
geological history. Along with Sri Lanka, this
region also shows some faunal similarities with the Madagascan region especially in the reptiles
and amphibians. Examples include the Sibynophis snakes, the Purple Frog and
Sri Lankan lizard genus Nessia which appears similar to the
Madagascan genus Acontias. Numerous floral links to the
Madagascan region also exist. An alternate hypothesis that these
taxa may have originally evolved out-of-India has also been suggested.
Biogeographical quirks exist with some taxa of Malayan origin
occurring in Sri Lanka but
absent in the Western Ghats. These include insects groups
such as the zoraptera and
plants such as those of the genus Nepenthes.
Biodiversity: There are over 6000 vascular
plants belonging to over 2500 genera in this hotspot, of which over 3000 are endemic. Much of the world's spices such as black pepper and cardamom have
their origins in the Western Ghats. The highest concentration of species in the
Western Ghats is believed to be the Agasthyamalai
Hills in the extreme
south. The region also harbors over 450 bird species, about 140 mammalian
species, 260 reptiles and 175 amphibians. Over 60% of the reptiles and
amphibians are completely endemic to the hotspot. Remarkable as this diversity
is, it is severely threatened today. The vegetation in this hotspot originally
extended over 190,000 square kms. Today, its been reduced to just 43,000 sq. km.
In Sri Lanka, only 1.5% of the original forest cover still remains.
The
Eastern Himalayas
The Indian
Rhinoceros is one of
the 45 species of globally threatened mammals found in the Eastern Himalayas.
About the region: The Eastern Himalayas is the
region encompassing Bhutan, northeastern India, and southern, central, and
eastern Nepal. The region is geologically young and shows high altitudinal
variation. Together, the Himalayan mountain system is the world's highest, and home
to the world's highest peaks, which include Mount Everest and K2.
To comprehend the enormous scale of this mountain range, consider that Aconcagua, in the Andes,
at 6962 metres is the highest peak outside Asia, whereas the Himalayan system
includes over 100
mountains exceeding
7200 metres. Some of the world's major river systems arise in the Himalayas,
and their combined drainage basin is home to some 3 billion people (almost half
of Earth's population) in 18 countries. The Himalayas have profoundly shaped
the cultures of South Asia; many Himalayan peaks are sacred in Hinduism, Buddhism and Sikhism.
Geologically, the origin of the Himalayas is the impact of the Indian tectonic plate traveling northward at 15cm per year
to impact the Eurasian continent, about 40-50 million years ago. The formation
of the Himalayan arc resulted since the lighter rock of the seabeds of that
time were easily uplifted into mountains. An often-cited fact used to
illustrate this process is that the summit of Mount Everest is made of marine limestone.
Biodiversity: The Eastern Himalayan hotspot has
nearly 163 globally threatened species including the One-horned Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros
unicornis), the Wild Asian Water
buffalo (Bubalus
bubalis (Arnee)) and in all 45 mammals, 50 birds, 17 reptiles, 12
amphibians, 3 invertebrate and 36 plant species. The
Relict Dragonfly (Epiophlebia
laidlawi) is an endangered species found here with the only
other species in the genus being found in Japan.
The region is also home to the Himalayan Newt (Tylototriton
verrucosus), the only salamander species
found within Indian limits.
There are an estimated 10,000 species of plants in the Himalayas, of which one-third are endemic and
found nowhere else in the world. Five families - Tetracentraceae,
Hamamelidaceae, Circaesteraceae, Butomaceae and Stachyuraceae - are completely
endemic to this region. Many plant species are found even in the highest
reaches of the Himalayan mountains. For example, a plant species Ermania
himalayensis was
found at an altitude of 6300 metres in northwestern Himalayas. A few threatened
endemic bird species such as the Himalayan Quail, Cheer pheasant,Western tragopan are found here, alongwith some of
Asia's largest and most endangered birds such as the Himalayan
vulture and White-bellied heron
The Saola,
a bovine, is one of the world's rarest mammals. It was discovered in Vietnam
only in 1992
The Himalayas are home to over 300 species of mammals, a dozen of
which are endemic. Mammals like the Golden langur, The Himalayan
tahr, the pygmy hog, Langurs, Asiatic wild dogs, sloth bears, Gaurs, Muntjac, Sambar, Blue sheep, Takin, the Gangetic dolphin, wild water
buffalo,swamp deer call the Himalayan ranged their home.
The only endemic genus in the hotspot is the Namadapha flying
squirrel which is
critically endangered and is described only from a single specimen from
Namdapha National Park.
Indo-Burma
About the region: The Indo-Burma region encompasses
several countries. It is spread out from Eastern Bangladesh to Malaysia and
includes North-Eastern India south of Brahmaputra river, Myanmar, the southern
part of China's Yunnan province, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Cambodia, Vietnam and Thailand. The Indo-Burma region is spread over
2 million sq. km of tropical Asia. Since this hotspot is spread over such a
large area and across several major landforms, there is a wide diversity of
climate and habitat patterns in this region.
Biodiversity: Much of this region is still a wilderness,
but has been deteriorating rapidly in the past few decades. In recent times,
six species of large mammals have been discovered here: Large-antlered muntjac,
Annamite muntjac, Grey-shanked douc, Annamite striped rabbit, Leaf deer, and
the Saola.
This region is home to several primate species
such as monkeys , langurs and gibbons with populations numbering only in the
hundreds. Many of the species, especially some freshwater turtle species, are
endemic. Almost 1,300 bird species exist in this region including the
threatened white-eared night-heron, the grey-crowned crocias, and the
orange-necked partridge. It is estimated that there are about 13,500 plant
species in this hotspot, with over half of them endemic. Ginger, for example, is native to this region.
There are four main
reasons why species are being threatened in these biodiversity hotspots
1. Habitat destruction: As recently as 30 years
ago, most of the regions in these biodiversity hotspots were inaccessible and
remote. Now, due to better infrastructure, contact of these areas with humans
has increased. Activities such as logging of wood, increased agriculture,
increased human habitation has led to destruction of forests and pollution of
rivers. These factors are causing species ranges to reduce and habitats to
become choppy. The government planned to establish habitat corridors, but these
plans have not yet materialized in most areas. Activities such as mining,
construction of large dams, highway construction has also caused significant
destruction of habitats.
2. Resource mismanagement: Increased tourism
without proper regulation has led to pollution and environmental degradation.
Prime example are pilgrimage destinations like Rishikesh and hill stations like Dehradoon. These spots, once nestled in
the pristine ranges of the Himalayas, are now dirty commercial destinations.
Places like Dehradoon are even experiencing a construction boom so large that
illegal immigrants from Bangladesh are also flocking there. Religious destinations in the
Himalayas, where devotees flock in millions now, are also hot destinations for
medicinal plant trade, which has threatened plant life in the area.
3. Poaching: Large mammals such as
the tiger, rhinoceros and the elephant once faced the distinct
possibility of complete extinction due to rampant hunting and poaching.
However, efforts by conservationists since the 1970s has helped stabilize and
grow these populations. Still, the trade in tiger hide, elephant tusks, tiger
teeth, rhinoceros horn remains profitable and rampant.
4. Climate change: Although dire IPCC predictions of Himalayan
glaciers melting by 2035 have been retracted, there is no doubt that several
Himalayan glaciers are melting. In the Western Ghats, studies have shown that
the deciduous and the evergreen forests of Karnataka are the most at risk. Climate
change may significantly affect the temperatures, rainfalls and water tables in
the Western Ghats, according to an
assessment by the Government of India.
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