Our scientists have determined the places where immediate conservation action can do the most good.  

As it turns out, nearly three-quarters of the world’s most threatened birds, amphibians, and mammals and over half of all the world’s plants live in just a tiny fraction of the Earth's surface – the biodiversity hotspots. A majority of these species can’t be found anywhere other than the 34 hotspots that we’ve identified.

Environmental pressures have already taken a serious toll in these regions. To date, every hotspot has lost at least 70 percent of its original natural vegetation. Their ecosystem values are estimated at roughly 1.5 trillion U.S. dollars. Their value to local and global communities could have been much higher if we had stopped them becoming the hotspots they are today. At Conservation International, we’re focused on stopping them from losing even one percent more.

>> Visit BiodiversityHotspots.org