Hotspots of (sub)alpine plants in the Irano-Anatolian global biodiversity hotspot are insufficiently protected

Jalil Noroozi, Masoud Minaei, Sina Khalvati, Akram Kaveh, Haniyeh Nafisi, Behnaz Nazari, Golshan Zare, Ernst Vitek, Karl Hülber, Gerald M. Schneeweiss

Publications: Contribution to journalArticlePeer Reviewed

Abstract

Aim: The mountainous regions in SW Asia harbour a high number of endemic species, many of which are restricted to the high-elevation zone. The (sub)alpine habitats of the region are under particular threat due to global change, but their biodiversity hotspots and conservation status have not been investigated so far. Location: Subalpine-alpine habitats of SW Asia. Methods: Distribution data of all (sub)alpine vascular plant species of the region were compiled, resulting in 19,680 localities from 1672 (sub)alpine species, the majority of them being restricted to the region (76%). Six quantitative indices of species diversity were used on the basis of 0.5° × 0.5° grid cells to identify (sub)alpine hotspots. Hotspots whose surface area in the (sub)alpine zone was covered by nature reserves maximally by 10% were defined as conservation gaps. Results: A high proportion (80%) of the endemic species of the study area is range-restricted and narrowly distributed. The results of all six indices were highly correlated. Using the top 5%, 10% and 20% richest cells supported by any index, 32, 53 and 98 cells, respectively, were identified as Hotspots. Almost 60% of these Hotspots at all three levels were identified as unprotected (i.e. constituted Conservation Gaps). Generally, only 22%, 18% and 16%, respectively, of the alpine surface area of the identified Hotspots were covered by nature reserves for the top 5%, 10% and 20% richest cells, respectively. Main conclusions: Although the rate of protection in (sub)alpine Hotspots exceeds that of the entire region it is still insufficient, because these Hotspots are much richer in endemic and in range-restricted species, but at the same time are under high pressure of global change. Therefore, the establishment of new nature reserves with high conservation efficiency in (sub)alpine habitats with a particular focus on the identified Hotspots is strongly recommended.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)244-253
Number of pages10
JournalDiversity and Distributions: a journal of conservation biogeography
Volume29
Issue number2
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Feb 2023

Austrian Fields of Science 2012

  • 106015 Geobotany
  • 106030 Plant ecology

Keywords

  • alpine habitats
  • conservation gaps
  • endemism
  • global biodiversity hotspots

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Hotspots of (sub)alpine plants in the Irano-Anatolian global biodiversity hotspot are insufficiently protected'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this