THREATS TO BIODIVERSITY HOTSPOTS

900 WD

Biodiversity hotspots are areas in the natural environment that contain some of the biggest concentration of flora and fauna in the world, often containing many rare and endangered species. However many of these ecosystems are threatened by the likes of climate change, increased urbanisation/land use and tourism developments which can prove critical for the wellbeing of their environment. One area that has witnessed degradation in recent years is Galapagos which is an example of a biodiversity hotspot that is threatened by alien species. This island off the coast of Ecuador is home to a huge range of these ‘alien species’ with up to 60% of the 180 endemic plants in Galapagos now considered under threat. There has been 490 introduced insect species on the island, and 43 species of