Consider the following regions of India 1. Western Ghats 2. Arvali Hills 3. Eastern Himalayas Which of the above is/ are biodiversity hot spot/hot spots ?

India is home to four globally recognized biodiversity hotspots: the Himalayas, the Western Ghats (including Sri Lanka), the Indo-Burma region, and Sundaland [t2, t9]. The Western Ghats (Sahyadri) are recognized as one of the world's 'hottest hotspots' due to their exceptional levels of biological diversity and endemism, hosting over 5,000 flowering plant species and numerous threatened fauna [c1, t7, t10]. The Eastern Himalayas are also a designated hotspot, characterized by altitudinal zonation and high species richness across the northeastern states of India, Sikkim, and Bhutan [c2, c3]. While the Aravalli Hills are an ecologically significant and ancient mountain range, they do not meet the specific criteria (at least 1,500 endemic vascular plants and 70% habitat loss) required to be classified as a global biodiversity hotspot by Conservation International [t5, t9]. Therefore, only the Western Ghats and Eastern Himalayas qualify.

Sources

1. [1] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > Himalayas and east and south east Asia > p. 9
2. [2] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > Himalayas and east and south east Asia > p. 8
3. [3] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 9: Indian Biodiversity Diverse Landscape > 9.3.2. Floral endemism * order > p. 158
4. [4] https://www.undp.org/sites/g/files/zskgke326/files/2022-06/OECM%20Compendium_%202022.pdf
5. [5] https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/1342/