Most geographically and ecologically varied regions in relation to its size

[ram_k]

@issac_krone - Nice
and welcome to the forum.

Would not classify the Himalayas as a plateau - though there are a few plateaus contained within it and besides it (the Tibetan Plateau)

[safron]

Gotta give the state of Alabama its fair share of love here. Way smaller than most of the other places mentioned, but has some of the most biodiverse ecosystems in the USA. From the swamps and longleaf pine savannahs in the south, to the very diverse rivers that cross the entire state, as well as the heavily eroded base of the Appalachians in the north.

[vihaking277]

Pied thrush are uncommon Highland birds, so fairly lacking opportunity. Thanks for the appreciataion!

[annkatrinrose]

And if you head a bit northeast, you hit some of the most biodiverse hotspots in the eastern US along the Southern Appalachian mountain range. The region is worth an article on the WWF site and was identified as the #1 priority area for conservation efforts in the US (Jenkins et al, 2015, PNAS).

[ximango]

That’s a fascinating map, but what do the numbers mean? Both the big numbers on the map, and the key at the lower left?

[annkatrinrose]

Here’s the legend from the paper: “Summed priority scores across all taxa and recommended priority areas to expand conservation: 1, Middle to southern Blue Ridge Mountains; 2, Sierra Nevada Mountains, particularly the southern section; 3, California Coast Ranges; 4, Tennessee, Alabama, and northern Georgia watersheds; 5, Florida panhandle; 6, Florida Keys; 7, Klamath Mountains, primarily along the border of Oregon and California; 8) South-Central Texas around Austin and San Antonio; 9, Channel Islands of California.” The priority scores they say were calculated “equal to the proportion of the species’ range that is unprotected (i.e., not in IUCN I to VI protected areas) divided by the area of the species’ range” and summed across the 1,200 endemic species they looked at (representing mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, freshwater fish, and trees). Their calculations did not seem to include arthopods or any plants other than trees.