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MEGADIVERSITY

Introduction

The concept of “megadiversity” involves an estimate of the total number of all

the organisms in an ecosystem and means that a place has a larger percentage
of living species in its territory than what would correspond to it if that
percentage were proportional to its surface. This concept stresses the
importance of certain countries that have large biological diversity within their
borders, many of which are endemic species. It is obvious that organisms are
not at the disposal of frontiers but a megadiverse country is one in which a
large number of species can be found. Therefore, megadiverse countries
possess an invaluable resource.

Distribution of diversity

Biodiversity is not uniformly distributed on the planet and, without taking

marine ecosystems into account, tropical regions possess most of the
terrestrial diversity (about half of the world’s species).

Of all the countries, only 12 are in the biodiversity belt comprising the tropics
and shelter between 50% and 80% of the entire biodiversity in the world.
Nevertheless, only seven countries are considered as having great
megadiversity: Brazil, Colombia, Mexico, the Democratic Republic of the
Congo (formerly Zaire), Madagascar, Indonesia, and Australia. Table 1 shows
the countries with greatest estimated diversity of known species:

Table 1. Countries with greatest estimated diversity of known species of

various taxonomic groups (Source: CHALLENGER, 1998).

Mammals Birds Amphibians Reptiles Papilionoid Angiosperms

butterflies
Indonesia Colombia Brazil 516 Mexico 717 Indonesia 121 Brazil 50,000
519 1721
Mexico 449 Peru 1701 Colombia 407 Australia 597 China 99-104 Colombia 45,000
Brazil 428 Brazil 1622 Ecuador 358 Indonesia 529 India 77 China 30,000
Peru 410 Indonesia Mexico 285 Brazil 467 Brazil 74 Mexico 26,000
1519
China 410 Ecuador 1447 Indonesia 270 India 453 Burma 68 Australia 25,000
Democratic Venezuela China 265 Colombia 383 Ecuador 64 South Africa
Republic 1275 21,000
Of Congo
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409
Colombia Bolivia ±1250 Peru 251 Ecuador 365 Colombia 59 Indonesia 20,000
359
India 350 India 1200 Democratic Peru 297 Peru 58/59 Venezuela 20,000
Republic
Of Congo 216
Uganda 311 Malaysia USA 205 Malaysia 294 Malaysia Peru 200,000
±1200 54/56
Tanzania China 1195 Venezuela Thailand 282 Mexico 52 Former
310 197 Soviet union
20,000
Australia 197 Papua and New
Guinea 282

Megadiverse countries

Brazil is probably the most megadiverse country. Its jungles comprise 42

percent of the country’s area and cover more than 357 million hectares, that is,
more than a third of the world’s tropical forests. Although it occupies fourth
place in the world as regards mammals, it is first in primate, amphibian, and
plant species; third in birds, and fourth in reptiles.

For its part, Colombia is in first place in the world in bird species and second
in plants and amphibians. Among tropical countries, Colombia is first in birds;
second in plants, amphibians, and primates; third in reptiles and butterflies,
and fourth in mammals. Meanwhile, Peru has a fourth of its surface as jungles
and is one of the most rich and diverse. After Brazil, it has the largest number
of primate species and its diversity in birds is almost on the same level as
Colombia’s. Peru is in second place in the world in primate and bird species
and fourth in mammals. Among tropical countries, it is second in birds and
primates; third in mammals; fourth in butterflies, and fifth in reptiles.

Mexico’s biological wealth is largely due to its biogeography and is

considered a transition zone between the Nearctic and Neotropical zones.
After Brazil, Mexico has the largest variety of terrestrial vertebrate species
and its endemism in land mammals is the largest in the tropics. It is in first
place in the world in reptiles; second in mammals, and fourth in amphibians.
Among tropical countries, it ranks first in reptiles and mammals; third in
plants; fourth in amphibians, and sixth in butterflies.

Ecuador has a high level of endemism with its highest proportion in the
Galapagos Islands. It is calculated that these islands have the largest
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concentration of species by area in the tropics since one can find more than
1,200 species of plants in two square kilometers of its coastal woods. Ecuador
ranks third in the world in amphibians; fifth in birds; and sixth in butterflies.
Among tropical countries, it ranks second in butterflies; third in amphibians;
fourth in birds and reptiles; fifth in primates, and sixth in plants and mammals.

Venezuela has a large variety of species, especially in the Orinoco River

basin. Its main centers of endemism are in the cordilleras of Merida and the
Coast, the Perijá Sierra, and the Guayana Macizo. It is estimated that 12% of
its 1,200 fresh water species of fish are endemic and that 45% of South
America’s birds are to be found in Venezuela. It ranks sixth in the world in
birds; eighth in plants, and tenth in amphibians. Among tropical countries, it is
fourth in plant species; fifth in mammals and birds; sixth in primates,
amphibians, and reptiles; and ninth in butterflies.

Bolivia is a semitropical country with significant biodiversity. It is estimated

that Bolivia’s bird fauna has a third of all of South America’s bird species. It
ranks seventh in the world in birds and sixth among tropical countries; it is
also fourth in primates and seventh in mammals and butterflies.

Sources of information

● AUPEC. Los ricos en megadiversidad. University Agency for Scientific

Journalism [Agencia Universitaria de Periodismo Científico (AUPEC)],
Colombia.
http://aupec.univalle.edu.co/informes/julio97/boletin43/megadiversidad.html

● CHALLENGER, A. Utilización y conservación de los ecosistemas de

México. Pasado, presente y futuro. CONABIO, Instituto de Biología y Sierra
Madre, Mexico, 1998.

● CONABIO. Recursos Naturales. Nacional Comisión for Knowledge and

Use of Biodiversity [Comisión Nacional para Conocimiento y Uso de la
Biodiversidad (CONABIO)], Mexico.
http://www.conabio.gob.mx/biodiversidad/Ibio.htm

● MDSP. Implementación del Convenio sobre Diversidad Biológica.

Dirección General de Biodiversidad del Ministerio de Desarrollo Sostenible y
Planificación (MDSP), Bolivia, 1997.