Biodiversity and its conservation are among the main global topics in science and politics and perhaps the major challenge for the present and coming generations. This book written by international experts from different disciplines comprises general chapters on diversity and its measurement, human impacts on biodiversity hotspots on a global scale, human diversity itself and various geographic regions exhibiting high levels of diversity. The areas covered range from genetics and taxonomy to evolutionary biology, biogeography and the social sciences. In addition to the classic hotspots in the tropics, the book also highlights various other ecosystems harbouring unique species communities including coral reefs and the Southern Ocean. The approach taken considers, but is not limited to, the original hotspot definition sensu stricto and presents a chapter introducing the 35th hotspot, the forests of East Australia. While, due to a bias in data availability, the majority of contributions on particular taxa deal with vertebrates and plants, some also deal with the less-studied invertebrates. This book will be essential reading for anyone involved with biodiversity, particularly researchers and practitioners in the fields of conservation biology, ecology and evolution.

Part I  Introductory AND GLOBAL Aspects Chapter 1Russell A. Mittermeier, Will R. Turner, Frank W. Larsen, Thomas M. Brooks, Claude Gascon:Global Biodiversity Conservation: The Critical Role of Hotspots Chapter 2Christine B. Schmitt:Tough Choices ¿ Approaches towards the Setting of Global Conservation Priorities Chapter 3T. Jonathan Davies, Mark W. Cadotte:Quantifying Biodiversity ¿ Does It Matter What We Measure?  Chapter 4John N. Williams:Human Population and the Hotspots Revisited: a 2010 assessment  Chapter 5Jens Mutke, Jan H. Sommer, Holger Kreft, Gerold Kier, Wilhelm Barthlott:Plant Diversity in a Changing World: Global Centres and Biome-Specific Trends Chapter 6Guido Barbujani, Vincenza Colonna:Genetic Basis of Human Biodiversity: an Update Part II  biodiversity in the Palaearctic Chapter 7Godfrey M. Hewitt:Mediterranean Peninsulas ¿ The Evolution of Hotspots Chapter 8Georg Grabherr, Michael Gottfried, Harald Pauli:Global Change Effects on Alpine Plant Diversity Chapter 9Ronald Sluys, Mansour Aliabadian, Cees S. Roselaar:European Hotspots as Evidenced by the Palaearctic Distribution of Songbirds  Chapter 10Andreas Schuldt, Thorsten Assmann:Patterns and Hotspots of Carabid Beetle Diversity in the Palaearctic ¿ Insights from a Hyperdiverse Invertebrate Taxon Chapter 11Miklós Bálint, Lujza Ujvárosi, Kathrin Theissinger, Stephanie Lehrian, Noémi Mészáros, Steffen U. Pauls:A Neglected Diversity Hotspot: Genetic Variation in the Carpathians Part III  Biodiversity in madagascar Chapter 12Nadine V. M. Fritz-Vietta, H. Barry Ferguson, S. Stoll-Kleemann, Jörg U. Ganzhorn:Conservation in a Biodiversity Hotspot: Insights from Cultural and Community Perspectives in Madagascar Chapter 13Philip-Sebastian Gehring, Jörn Köhler, Axel Strauß, Roger D. Randrianiaina, Julian Glos, Frank Glaw, Miguel Vences:The Kingdom of the Frogs ¿ Anuran Radiations in Madagascar Chapter 14Stefan Lötters, Dennis Rödder, Jos Kielgast, Frank Glaw:Hotspots, Conservation and Diseases: Madagascar¿s megadiverse amphibians and the potential impact of chytridiomycosis Part IV  biodiversity in the tropics Chapter 15Janice S. H. Lee, John Garcia-Ulloa, Lian P. Koh:Impacts of Biofuel Expansion in Biodiversity Hotspots Chapter 16Kristen J. Williams, Andrew Ford, Daniel Rosauer, Naamal De Silva, Russell Mittermeier, Caroline Bruce, Frank W. Larsen, Chris Margules:Forests of East Australia: The 35th Biodiversity Hotspot Chapter 17Nigel E. Stork, Steve Goosem, Stephen M. Turton:Status and Threats in the Dynamic Landscapes of Northern Australiäs Tropical Rainforest Biodiversity Hotspot: the Wet Tropics Chapter 18Christian Sturmbauer, Martin Husemann, Patrick Danley:Explosive Speciation and Adaptive Radiation of East African Cichlid Fishes Chapter 19Marie Pagès, Alice Latinne, Johan Michaux:Inter- and Intraspecific Biodiversity in Southeast Asian Rodents: New Insights for their Conservation Chapter 20André Koch:The Amphibians and Reptiles of Sulawesi: Underestimated Diversity in a Dynamic Environment Chapter 21M. C. Ribeiro, A. C. Martensen, J. P. Metzger, M. Tabarelli, F. Scarano, M. J. Fortin:The Brazilian Atlantic Forest: A Shrinking Biodiversity Hotspot Chapter 22Marco Rieckmann, Maik Adomßent, Werner Härdtle, Patricia Aguirre:Sustainable Development and Conservation of Biodiversity Hotspots in Latin America: The Case of Ecuador Chapter 23Sebastian Steinfartz:When Hotspots Meet: The Galápagos Islands ¿ A Hotspot of Species Endemism Based on a Volcanic Hotspot Centre Part V  marine biodiversity Chapter 24Marjorie L. Reaka, Sara A. Lombardi:Hotspots on Global Coral Reefs Chapter 25Angelika Brandt, Julian Gutt:Biodiversity of a Unique Environment: the Southern Ocean Benthos Shaped and Threatened by Climate Change Part VI  Conclusions Chapter 26 Frank E. Zachos, Russell A. Mittermeier, Jan C. HabelBiodiversity Hotspots ¿ Concluding Remarks and Perspectives