Hotspots coincide – such as hotspots sensu Myers/CI – and it is therefore good news that a relatively small fraction of the planet suffers from this double jeopardy Hotspots for One Taxon are Not Necessarily Hotspots for Others Multiple studies, at a diversity of scales, found that peaks of diversity for multiple taxa not always overlap (Prendergast et al., 1993; van Jaarsveld et al., 1998; Grenyer et al., 2006) As above (see The Different Types of Hotspots Do Not Match), results based on hotspots sensu lato have been extrapolated to criticize hotspots sensu Myers/CI, which have been assumed to be appropriate only for plant conservation (e.g., in Mace et al., 2000, quoting results from van Jaarsveld et al., 1998; Grenyer et al., 2006) The lack of overlap between peaks of diversity for multiple taxa raises interesting macroecological and biogeographical questions, but it is not necessarily a conservation concern given the limited application of the concept of hotspots sensu lato to conservation theory and practice In contrast, hotspots sensu Myers/CI have already mobilized substantial conservation investment, and if they are only effective for plant conservation that is a serious limitation to the hotspots strategy Few studies have directly tested whether areas of simultaneously high endemism and threat for different taxa coincide, but a study investigating priority areas for expanding the global protected area network for birds, mammals, and amphibians, based on irreplaceability and threat, highlighted areas that were almost completely within the hotspots sensu Myers/CI (Rodrigues et al., 2004) Conclusions More than two decades since it was first proposed, the concept of biodiversity hotspots is more popular than ever (Figure 4), but it means different things to different people As a vague term for ‘‘important areas for biodiversity’’ it is no more than a sexy label, and widespread confusion about its different meanings can hinder its utility as a theoretical concept and as an applied tool However, if rigorously defined it can have, and indeed it already has had, a significant impact in the conservation literature and practice See also: Biogeography, Overview Comparing Extinction Rates: Past, Present, and Future Complementarity Conservation Biology, Discipline of Conservation Efforts, Contemporary Deforestation and Land Clearing Endangered Ecosystems Extinction, Causes of Global Species Richness Habitat Loss and Fragmentation Human Impact on Biodiversity, Overview Loss of Biodiversity, Overview Species Diversity, Overview Tropical Forest Ecosystems References Ahrends A, Burgess ND, Gereau RE, et al (2011) Funding begets biodiversity Diversity and Distributions 17: 191–200 Anderson S (2002) Identifying Important Plant Areas: A Site Selection Manual for Europe, and a Basis for Developing Guidelines for Other Regions of the World London, UK: PlantLife International 135 Araujo MB and Williams PH (2001) The bias of complementarity hotspots toward marginal populations Conservation Biology 15: 1710–1720 Bellwood DR, Hughes TP, Folke C, and Nystrom M (2004) Confronting the coral reef crisis Nature 429: 827–833 Bossuyt F, Meegaskumbura M, Beenaerts N, et al (2004) Local endemism within the Western Ghats – Sri Lanka Biodiversity Hotspot Science 306: 479–481 Brooks T, Mittermeier R, Mittermeier C, et al (2002) Habitat loss and extinction in the hotspots of biodiversity Conservation Biology 16: 909–923 Brooks TM, Mittermeier RA, da Fonseca GAB, et al (2006) Global biodiversity conservation priorities Science 313: 58–61 Brummitt N and Lughadha EN (2003) Biodiversity: Where’s hot and where’s not Conservation Biology 17: 1442–1448 Bryant D, Burke L, McManus J, and Spalding M (1998) Reefs at Risk: A Mapbased Indicator of Potential Threats to the World’s Coral Reefs Washington DC, USA: World Resources Institute, International Center for Living Aquatic Resources Management, World Conservation Monitoring Centre, United Nations Environment Programme Bryant D, Nielsen D, and Tangley L (1997) The Last Frontier Forests: Ecosystems and Economies on the Edge Washington DC, USA: World Resources Institute Cardillo M, Mace GM, Gittleman JL, and Purvis A (2006) Latent extinction risk and the future battlegrounds of mammal conservation Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences USA 103: 4157–4161 Caron A, de Garine-Wichatitsky M, and Morand S (2011) Parasite community ecology and epidemiological interactions at the wildlife/domestic/human interface/: Can we anticipate emerging infectious diseases in their hotspots? 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