Pragnya IAS · Chapter 11 of 15 · Wetlands, hotspots & coasts
Biodiversity hotspots in India map
Locate the four hotspots that touch India and learn the two thresholds — endemism plus loss — that define the term.
STUDY NOTE 1
The two thresholds
A biodiversity hotspot must hold at least 1,500 endemic vascular plant species and have lost at least 70 per cent of its original natural vegetation. Diversity alone does not qualify a region.
STUDY NOTE 2
Four touch India
The Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats and Sri Lanka, and Sundaland (through the Nicobar Islands) are the four hotspots covering parts of India. They are biogeographic regions, not state or park boundaries.
STUDY NOTE 3
The world count
Conservation International’s framework recognises 36 hotspots worldwide. Older maps may omit later additions; the Nicobar–Sundaland connection is the detail most often missed in Indian answers.
STUDY NOTE 4
Hotspot is not protected area
A hotspot is a priority region for global conservation, not a legal category like a national park. The Eastern Ghats, for all their richness, are not a hotspot under this framework — a frequent trap.
Map reading activity
Shade the four Indian hotspots on an outline map. Write the two defining thresholds from memory and name the island link to Sundaland.
What does this biodiversity hotspots of india lesson explain?
A biodiversity hotspot must hold at least 1,500 endemic vascular plant species and have lost at least 70 per cent of its original natural vegetation. Diversity alone does not qualify a region.
UPSC map practice & Geography Optional connection
For UPSC Prelims environment questions and GS III, pair each protected area or convention site with its state, ecosystem and flagship species. Use a labelled sketch to show distribution; lists and counts change, so note the update date rather than memorising a frozen tally. These are Pragnya-authored exercises, not official UPSC previous-year questions.
References & original artwork
This lesson covers chapter 11 of the supplied reference curriculum. Pragnya IAS notes, activities and questions are independently authored; source PDF pages, branding, personal watermarks and unverified PYQs are not republished. India state geometry: geoBoundaries (CC BY 2.5 IN), simplified. These are educational concept views, not legal boundaries or official protected-area maps.