BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS MAY MERIT CONSERVATION PRIORITY
FIGURE 4.6 A relatively small number of biodiversity hotspots are home to a very large portion of Earth’s species. Because biodiversity hotspots, shown by red shading, support half of Earth’s plant species and a large fraction of animal species, many conservation scientists suggest that they be a focus for biodiversity conservation. (After Mittermeier et al., 2005)