Such parts of the world where abundant plant and animal species, which are not found in any other area are present, are called hot spots.
India’s hot spots: So far, 25 hot spots have been identified in the entire world, two of them are in India which are described as following:
1. Western Ghats: The expanse of this hot spot is found in the states of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and Kerala in about 1600 sq. km area, along the western coast of the country. It is , only 5 per cent of the total land area of the country, but here 25 percent of the plant species of the country are found. There are two centers in terms of bio – diversity:
- Amambalam Reserve
- Agasthamalai Mountains
2. East Himalayan region: Temperate forests are extensively extending from 1700 to 3500 meters height, in which 11540 plant species are located. Of these, 4052 are local species.
