Setting priorities for conservation.

• Author: Bright, Chris
• Position: Brief Article

44 percent of all vascular plant species and 35 percent of all terrestrial vertebrate species appear to be confined to just 25 "hotspots," which cover only 1.4 percent of the Earth's land surface, according to a paper published in the 24 February 2000 issue of Nature. "Biodiversity Hotspots for Conservation Priorities," written by a team of five ecologists, finds that these hotspots are all under a high degree of threat, so protecting them presents a major opportunity for a highly targeted, global conservation effort.

The authors define a...