Environment Part 2: Biodiversity Hotspots of India

In one line: Environment Part 2 — exam-ready notes in one glance.

In one line: Environment and Ecology Part 2: Biodiversity questions cluster around three frameworks — the hotspot criteria, India's four hotspots, and the Biodiversity.

In fact, biodiversity questions cluster around three frameworks — the hotspot criteria, India’s four hotspots. In fact, the Biodiversity Act’s architecture (which sits at the centre of current affairs rows over access and benefit-sharing). This note covers all three in exam ready form.

Quick Answer: Biodiversity questions cluster around three frameworks — the hotspot criteria, India’s four hotspots. Moreover, the Biodiversity Act’s architecture (which sits at the centre of current affairs rows over access and benefit-sharing). Moreover, this note covers all three in exam ready form.

Table of Contents.

1. Therefore, the Concept Card: Species, Ecosystem and Genetic Diversity
2. Meanwhile, hotspots: The Criteria and the Global Numbers
3. India’s Four Hotspots in Detail
4. India’s Biodiversity Number Card
5. As a result, the Biodiversity Act 2002 and the 2023 Amendment
6. Threats: Why Hotspots Shrink
7. How Exams Probe This Topic
8. Quick Revision: One-Glance Facts

1. The Concept Card: Species, Ecosystem and Genetic Diversity.

• Biodiversity’s three levels. In other words, genetic diversity (variety within a species — the ~50,000 rice landraces of India), species diversity (variety among species). Therefore, ecosystem/habitat diversity (variety of ecosystems — the Western Ghats compress rainforest to grassland within kilometres).
• The measurement vocabulary. Notably, species richness (count), species evenness (relative abundance), endemism (species found nowhere else — the hotspot criterion). Meanwhile, keystone species and flagship species (tiger = flagship; fig trees = keystone).
• The megadiverse status. Indeed, india is one of 17 megadiverse countries (a concept of Conservation International) that together hold ~70% of the world’s biodiversity. As a result, india also hosts 4 of the world’s 36 biodiversity hotspots (2016 count; older papers say 34/35 — use 36).

2. Hotspots: The Criteria and the Global Numbers.

• Specifically, a region qualifies as a biodiversity hotspot if it meets two strict criteria : (1) it must contain at least 1. In other words, 500 species of vascular plants as endemics (>0.5% of the world’s total). (2) it must have lost at least 70% of its original habitat (i.e., no more than 30% of primary vegetation remains). Notably, both conditions together — high endemism plus high threat.
• Similarly, concept developed by British ecologist Norman Myers (1988) , later quantified by Myers, Mittermeier and Conservation International. Indeed, current global count: 36 hotspots covering ~2.4–2.5% of Earth’s land but supporting over half of all endemic plant species.
• The logic exams test. Overall, “Hotspot” is a threat designation, not merely a “rich biodiversity” label — a species rich but intact region (e.g. Specifically, much of Amazonia) is not a hotspot.

3. India’s Four Hotspots in Detail.

1. Consequently, extends into India in the eastern Himalaya (Arunachal, Sikkim. Similarly, darjeeling hills) — one of the two sub parts of the Himalayan hotspot (the other lies in Nepal/Bhutan/China). Endemics and icons: red panda, Himalayan quail, Himalayan newt, numerous rhododendrons and orchids. Threats — hydel projects, roads, grazing, climate driven altitude shifts. Note: the entire Indian Himalaya is often mapped into the hotspot in exam keys — treat eastern Himalaya as the core Indian share.
2. Western Ghats–Sri Lanka. Furthermore, india’s richest hotspot: ~ 7,402 species of flowering plants with over 3,000 endemic to the Ghats. Vertebrate icons — Nilgiri tahr, lion tailed macaque, Malabar civet, Nilgiri wood pigeon, purple frog. Among the eight “hottest hotspots” of the world. Threats — plantations, mining, dams, urbanisation (Bengaluru–Kochi corridor pressure). Governance anchor: the Madhav Gadgil (2011) and Kasturirangan (2013) committee reports on ESA (ecologically sensitive area) notification — a guaranteed mains link. The tale of successive draft ESA notifications (the latest still pending finalisation) is the current affairs edge.
3. Likewise, covers India’s Northeast (excluding the Himalayan belt) — Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram. Tripura, Mizoram’s Mizo hills — plus Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, southern China. Icons: sangai (brow antlered deer of Keibul Lamjao, Manipur), hoolock gibbon (India’s only ape), gharial in the Chambal fringe. Threats — shifting cultivation (jhum), dams on the Brahmaputra’s tributaries, wildlife trade.
4. In short, india’s share is the Nicobar Islands (the hotspot itself spans Southeast Asia, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines). Icons: Nicobar megapode, Nicobar scrubfowl, saltwater crocodile, Nicobar treeshrew. Threats — tsunami aftermath development, the proposed Great Nicobar trans shipment port — the single hottest current affairs link in this topic (Great Nicobar project vs tribal reserve and UNESCO biosphere status).

4. India’s Biodiversity Number Card.

• India in four numbers. Subsequently, ~ 45,000+ plant species (about 12% of world flora), ~ 91,000–100. 000 animal species (~7% of world fauna); only 2.4% of the world’s land area .
• In fact, ~ 33% of India’s flowering plants are endemic , concentrated in the Ghats and the Northeast.
• The protected area estate. Moreover, over 1,000 national parks and sanctuaries (protected areas cover ~5–6% of land) plus biodiversity heritage sites under the Act; 18 notified so far.
• Therefore, convention on Biological Diversity (CBD, 1992, Rio) — India party since 1994. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) with the 30-by-30 target (30% of land and ocean protected by 2030) is the current mains hook. India’s National Biodiversity Action Plan and the updated NBTs (National Biodiversity Targets) align with it.

5. The Biodiversity Act 2002 and the 2023 Amendment.

• Meanwhile, the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 — enacted to implement the CBD (conservation, sustainable use, and fair benefit-sharing). Came into force 2003, amendments in 2023 (in force 2024).
• The three tier structure. As a result, national Biodiversity Authority (NBA. Chennai) → State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) → Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at every local body level (people’s registers: the People’s Biodiversity Registers, PBRs — the grassroots instrument exams cite).
• The core obligations. In other words, non-Indian persons/companies must obtain NBA approval to access Indian biological resources. Indian entities notify SBBs; benefit-sharing under ABS (access and benefit-sharing) agreements; prior intimation for certain commercial uses.
• The 2023 amendment’s exam points. Notably, (1) Decriminalised offences — penalties are monetary (up to ₹1 crore) instead of imprisonment. (2) exemptions widened for Indian systems of medicine (AYUSH practitioners and companies exempted from approval/fee requirements). For research, bio-s utilisation and value added products. (3) encouraged foreign investment in the Indian seed industry (removal of a dual approval hurdle). (4) renamed the Act in places to align terms (bio-utilisation, benefit claimers including conservers of knowledge); (5) a designated authority to decide benefit-sharing .
• Indeed, exemptions for AYUSH may weaken the Nagoya Protocol (2010) ABS regime benefit flows to communities. Civil society has challenged the dilution — this is the mains debate angle.

6. Threats: Why Hotspots Shrink.

• Specifically, the big five drivers (IPBES/CBD framing). Land-use change (habitat loss and fragmentation — the dominant driver), overexploitation, climate change, pollution. Invasive alien species — learn all five as the answer skeleton to “why is biodiversity declining”.
• India specific hotspots of threat. Similarly, western Ghats (ESA notification delays), Himalaya (hydel cascade, Char Dham type linear projects), Nicobar (Great Nicobar project), Northeast (jhum intensification, river dams).
• The extinction math. Overall, the current extinction rate is ~100–1,000 times the natural background (the “sixth mass extinction” argument) — a line mains answers can deploy with the IUCN links from Part 3.

7. How Exams Probe This Topic.

• Prelims match-sets: hotspot ↔ Indian states (Nicobar–Sundaland, Meghalaya–Indo-Burma, Arunachal–Himalaya); species ↔ hotspot; committee ↔ report (Gadgil/Kasturirangan).
• Statement checks: “A biodiversity hotspot must have 1,500 endemic plant species and ≤30% original habitat intact” — true. “The NBA is a statutory body under the Environment (Protection) Act” — false, under the Biological Diversity Act 2002. “The 2023 amendment criminalised biopiracy” — false, decriminalised.
• Number card: 36 global hotspots, India has 4; 17 megadiverse countries; 18 biodiversity heritage sites.
• Mains framing: “India’s four biodiversity hotspots face distinct threats requiring differentiated conservation strategies — discuss” (pair each hotspot with its driver and a policy response). “The 2023 Biological Diversity Amendment dilutes community benefit-sharing.

8. Quick Revision: One-Glance Facts.

• Criteria: 1,500+ endemic vascular plants AND ≤30% habitat remaining.
• India’s 4: Himalaya, Western Ghats–Sri Lanka, Indo-Burma, Sundaland (Nicobar).
• Father of hotspot concept: Norman Myers (1988).
• India: 2.4% land, ~12% world flora, ~7% fauna; ~33% flora endemic; megadiverse-17.
• Law: BD Act 2002; NBA (Chennai)–SBB–BMC; PBRs; 2023 amendment (decriminalisation, AYUSH exemptions, ₹1 crore cap); Nagoya Protocol ABS link.
• Current hooks: Kunming-Montreal GBF 30×30; Great Nicobar project; Gadgil–Kasturirangan ESA.

This topic is four pairings plus one Act: know each hotspot’s Indian states, icon species and threat. Know the two hotspot criteria exactly; and know the 2002 Act’s three tiers and the 2023 amendment’s direction of change. Add the Kunming-Montreal and Great Nicobar hooks and both prelims recall and mains argumentation are covered.

Read next: The Indus Waters Treaty, 1960-2026: Survival, Abeyance and the Exam Questions, Exam-Ready Notes

Related exam guides.

• The Indus Waters Treaty, 1960-2026: Survival, Abeyance and the Exam Questions, Exam-Ready Notes.
• Junagadh and the Integration of the Princely States: From the 1948 Plebiscite to the 2025 Supreme Court Verdict, Exam-Ready Notes.
• Partition 1947: The Largest Migration in History, Exam-Ready Notes.

Frequently Asked Questions.

What should you know about 1. The Concept Card: Species, Ecosystem and Genetic Diversity?

Biodiversity’s three levels. Genetic diversity (variety within a species — the ~50,000 rice landraces of India), species diversity (variety among species). Ecosystem/habitat diversity (variety of ecosystems — the Western Ghats compress rainforest to grassland within kilometres). The measurement vocabulary. Species richness (count), species evenness (relative abundance), endemism (species found nowhere else — the hotspot criterion). Keystone species and flagship species (tiger = flagship; fig trees = keystone).

What should you know about 2. Hotspots: The Criteria and the Global Numbers?

A region qualifies as a biodiversity hotspot if it meets two strict criteria : (1) it must contain at least 1. 500 species of vascular plants as endemics (>0.5% of the world’s total). (2) it must have lost at least 70% of its original habitat (i.e., no more than 30% of primary vegetation remains). Both conditions together — high endemism plus high threat.

What should you know about 3. India's Four Hotspots in Detail?

Extends into India in the eastern Himalaya (Arunachal, Sikkim. Darjeeling hills) — one of the two sub parts of the Himalayan hotspot (the other lies in Nepal/Bhutan/China). Endemics and icons: red panda, Himalayan quail, Himalayan newt, numerous rhododendrons and orchids. Threats — hydel projects, roads, grazing, climate driven altitude shifts. Note: the entire Indian Himalaya is often mapped into the hotspot in exam keys — treat eastern Himalaya as the core Indian share.

What should you know about 4. India's Biodiversity Number Card?

India in four numbers. ~ 45,000+ plant species (about 12% of world flora), ~ 91,000–100,000 animal species (~7% of world fauna); only 2.4% of the world’s land area . ~ 33% of India’s flowering plants are endemic , concentrated in the Ghats and the Northeast. The protected area estate. Over 1,000 national parks and sanctuaries (protected areas cover ~5–6% of land) plus biodiversity heritage sites under the Act; 18 notified so far.

What should you know about 5. The Biodiversity Act 2002 and the 2023 Amendment?

The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 — enacted to implement the CBD (conservation, sustainable use, and fair benefit-sharing). Came into force 2003, amendments in 2023 (in force 2024). The three tier structure. National Biodiversity Authority (NBA, Chennai) → State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) → Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at every local body level (people’s registers: the People’s Biodiversity Registers, PBRs — the grassroots instrument exams cite).

Related reading: Environment Part 1: Food Chains and Energy Flow · Environment Part 3: WPA, Project Tiger, IUCN Lists · Environment Part 4: Ramsar Wetlands and Conservation · Environment Part 7: EPR, Plastics, Battery Waste · Environment Part 8: EIA and the 2020 Draft Row

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