biodiversity hotspot
by-oh-dih-VUR-sih-tee HOT-spot
ˌbaɪoʊdɪˈvɜːrsɪti ˈhɒtspɒtListen
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Dictionary meaning
a biogeographic region that is both exceptionally rich in endemic species and severely threatened by human activity; to qualify as a hotspot under the definition established by Norman Myers and refined by Conservation International, a region must contain at least 1,500 species of endemic vascular plants and have lost at least 70 percent of its original habitat; currently 36 recognised hotspots cover roughly 2.4 percent of Earth's land surface but harbour more than 50 percent of the world's plant species and 43 percent of bird, mammal, reptile, and amphibian species
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