Why is biodiversity important for the ACP region?
Biodiversity hotspots hold especially high numbers of endemic species, yet their combined area of remaining habitat covers only 2.3% of the Earth’s land surface. The decline in biodiversity is a global issue and was acknowledged at the International Biodiversity Conference ‘Biodiversity: Science and Governance’, Paris, January 2005. The ACP region is no exception as many of the biodiversity-rich hotspots are found in the ACP region. Each hotspot faces threats and reports indicate that they have already lost at least 70% of their original natural vegetation. In Africa, five internationally recognized biodiversity hotspots (WesternIndian OceanIslands, the CapeFloristic region, the Succulent Karoo, the Upper Guinea forest (DRC) and the Eastern Arc mountain forests of Eastern Africa) are under particular threat. In the CaribbeanIslands; Cuba, Hispaniola – Dominican Republic and Haiti, Jamaica and Puerto Rico representing 90% of the Caribbean hotspots, dozens of species are threatened with
