RAS question
The Western Ghats are a biodiversity hotspot. How many biodiversity hotspots exist in India?
Correct answer: (A) Four (Western Ghats, Eastern Himalayas, Indo-Burma, Sundaland).
India has four biodiversity hotspots: the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats-Sri Lanka and Sundaland, which includes the Nicobar Islands.
Explanation
India has four biodiversity hotspots: the Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats-Sri Lanka and Sundaland, represented in India by the Nicobar Islands. The MoEFCC-hosted Journal of Governance article supports this count and names the same four hotspot regions, noting that hotspot status is based on endemism and degree of threat. The supplied exam explanation adds the working definition: a hotspot must have more than 1,500 endemic plant species and must have lost over 70% of its original habitat. The Western Ghats are therefore not an isolated Indian category; they are one of four Indian parts of globally recognised hotspots, along with the Himalayan, North-East/Indo-Burma and Nicobar/Sundaland components.
Why the other options are wrong
- (B) Six is wrong because the supported Indian count is four, with no additional Indian hotspot beyond the four named regions.
- (C) One is wrong because the Western Ghats are only one of India's hotspot regions, not the complete Indian list.
- (D) Two is wrong because the source also includes the Himalaya, Indo-Burma and Sundaland/Nicobar components in India's hotspot coverage.
Concept
This tests Environment and Ecology mapping of biodiversity hotspots, especially the link between Indian regions and global conservation categories. It recurs in RAS because such questions combine a static count with region-based identification.