A set of new conservation maps presented at the UN climate change talks this week pinpoint the areas with the most dense biodiversity on earth so that more resources can be directed to protecting the most biodiverse areas.
Biodiversity is the number of different species of plants and animals contained in an area. An area with more biodiversity has a greater number of species than one with a lower biodiversity.
Instead of trying to protect the entire Amazon, for example, efforts of various aid organizations can now be focused on the remaining areas of biodiversity. The Andes and Amazon sport the most biodiverse areas and the center of Papua New Guinea is also one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.
The report and maps can be downloaded in PDF format from here.
Tags: biodiversity, loss of biodiversity, what is biodiversity
Comment(1)
Hello, I’m glad you’re keeping up with biodiversity mapping. This article was posted on my 22nd birthday
Just to clarify, though, as you mentioned there are hot-spots within the Amazon, but we are still trying to preserve “the whole thing” to the best of our ability. Even destroyed land can be gained for reforestation. Also, this map correlates carbon and biodiversity, implicitly focusing on terrestrial ecosystems. Note that very diverse, aquatic ecosystems are not addressed here.