Ecologists back blueprint to save biodiversity hotspots

Race to save species hotspots

A new study that has identified the remaining habitat of threatened species finds nearly three times as many are on the brink of extinction than have died out in the past 500 years. The new global analysis of the most threatened habitats was carried out by an international alliance of conservation scientists who spent three years locating the last remaining sites where species labelled endanger...

Warfare in biodiversity hotspots.

Conservation efforts are only as sustainable as the social and political context within which they take place. The weakening or collapse of sociopolitical frameworks during wartime can lead to habitat destruction and the erosion of conservation policies, but in some cases, may also confer ecological benefits through altered settlement patterns and reduced resource exploitation. Over 90% of the ...

Biodiversity Hotspots in India

Pollination decays in biodiversity hotspots.

As pollinators decline globally, competition for their services is expected to intensify, and this antagonism may be most severe where the number of plant species is the greatest. Using meta-analysis and comparative phylogenetic analysis, we provide a global-scale test of whether reproduction becomes more limited by pollen receipt (pollen limitation) as the number of coexisting plant species in...

Biodiversity hotspots through time: an introduction.

International targets set for reducing the rate of biodiversity loss--the 2010 target--and ensuring environmental stability (Millennium Development Goals) have helped to focus the efforts of the scientific community on providing the data necessary for their implementation. The urgency of these goals, coupled with the increased rate of habitat alteration worldwide, has meant that actions have la...