The Ecology Book

97

See also: Human activity and biodiversity 92–95 ■ The ecosystem 134–137

■ Deforestation 254–259 ■ Sustainable Biosphere Initiative 322–323

ORDERING THE NATURAL WORLD

regions that fulfilled two criteria:

the area must contain at least

1,500 vascular plants (plants with

roots, stems, and leaves) that were

endemic, and it must have lost at

least 70 percent of its primary

vegetation (the plants that originally

grew in the area). Conservation

International, an environmental

agency that uses Myers’ concept to

guide its efforts, now lists 36 such

regions. Although they represent

only 2.3 percent of Earth’s land

surface, they are home to nearly

60 percent of the planet’s plant,

amphibian, reptile, mammal, and

bird species—and a high

proportion of these species live only

in their respective hotspot.

Most hotspots lie in the tropics

or subtropics. The one facing the

highest threat level is the Indo-

Burma area in Southeast Asia.

Only 5 percent of the original

habitat remains, but its rivers,

wetlands, and forests are vital for

the conservation of mammals,

birds, freshwater turtles, and fish.

Animals unique to this area

include the saola, a forest-dwelling

mammal that is related to cattle but

looks like an antelope; it was seen

for the first time in 1992, in the

Annamite Mountains of Vietnam.

The endangered Irrawaddy dolphin

is found along the coastlines of

Southeast Asia and the islands

of Indonesia. Other rare animals

include Eld’s deer, the fishing cat,

and the giant ibis.

Protective measures

Conservation agencies agree on

targets for every hotspot. They list

species that are threatened and

make plans to conserve and manage

those areas with suitable habitat

and viable populations of target

plants and animals. Sites are ranked

according to how vulnerable and

irreplaceable they are.

Myers’ two criteria have been

criticized by those who say they do

not take account of changing land

use in regions where less than 70

percent of good habitat has been

destroyed. The Amazon rain forest,

for example, is not within a hotspot

but the forest is being cleared faster

than anywhere else on Earth. ■

Norman Myers

Myers was born in 1934

and grew up in the north of

England. He studied at the

University of Oxford before

moving to Kenya, where he

worked as a government

administrator and teacher.

During the 1970s, Myers

studied at the University of

California, Berkeley, where his

interest in the environment

grew. He raised concerns

about deforestation for cattle

ranching, describing it as the

“hamburger connection.”

Myers raised the concept

of biodiversity hotspots in

the article “Threatened

Biotas: ‘Hotspots’ in Tropical

Forests,” published in The

Environmentalist in 1988.

In his first book, Ultimate

Security: The Environmental

Basis of Political Stability, he

argued that environmental

problems lead to social and

political crises. In 2007, Time

magazine hailed Myers as a

Hero of the Environment.

Key works

1988 “Threatened Biotas:

Hotspots in Tropical Forests”

1993 Ultimate Security: The

Environmental Basis of

Political Stability

Our welfare is intimately

tied up with the welfare of

wildlife ... by saving the lives

of wild species, we may be

saving our own.

Norman Myers

We are into the opening

stages of a human-caused

biotic holocaust—a wholesale

elimination of species—that

could leave the planet

impoverished for at least

five million years.

Norman Myers

US_096-097_Biodiversity_Hotspots.indd 97 12/11/18 6:24 PM