It is widely believed that biodiversity (生物多样性) is promoted to save species. But in reality species exist only as part of ecosystems and cannot survive unless their ecosystems are protected along with the diversity they contain as much as possible.
Protecting habitats is important for keeping biodiversity. In 2003, over 102, 000 habitats covering nearly 19 million square kilometres, or 11. 5% of the world's land surface, were under some form of protection. Though this has been a great improvement since 1962, when just 1, 000 protected habitats were listed, it is still not considered enough to stop the ecocide that is endangering the world's biodiversity.
For a number of environmentalists, protecting the world's 25 biodiversity hotspots(热点地区) is critical to saving habitats and species. But many hotspots are endangered already, having lost up to three-quarters of their original plants.
The poor state of most biodiversity hotspots results directly from population growth and migration(迁移) into these areas. A study found that by the mid-1990s around 1. 1 billion people had lived in these hotspots. Moreover, the annual population growth rate in these areas was 1. 8%, higher than the global average of 1.4%. The PAI report concluded that human-related environmental changes would continue to put pressure on hotspots. Therefore, keeping biodiversity requires paying close attention to population size.
Protecting hotspots is not simply a matter of putting up fences or employing guards. The best results will be achieved when local people are educated about the value of wildlife, and actually gain a share of the benefits from eco-tourism. Only then do they have a chance to see the benefits of protecting hotspots.
