Defining hotspots

British ecologist Norman Myers was the first to define the biodiversity hotspot concept in 1988, to address the dilemma that conservationists face: What areas are the most immediately important for conserving biodiversity?

He identified 10 tropical forest hotspots characterized by exceptional levels of plant endemism and serious levels of habitat loss.

In 1989, US-based Conservation International (CI) adopted Myers' hotspots as its institutional blueprint.