The Caribbean islands biodiversity hotspot : ecosystem profile [final version]

Abstract

Despite their small land area, the Caribbean Islands support one of the highest numbers of globally threatened species of any hotspot in the world. The Caribbean Islands are a biodiversity-rich archipelago that comprises 30 countries and territories and stretches across nearly 4 million km2 of sea. The Caribbean Islands are one of 36 biodiversity hotspots in the world. Biodiversity hotspots hold at least 1,500 plant species found nowhere else and have lost at least 70 percent of their original natural habitat. The island biogeography and complex geology of the Caribbean has created unique habitats and high species diversity.