Which one of the following regions of India is now regarded as an ‘ecological hot spot’ ?

The Western Ghats are widely regarded as an ecological (biodiversity) hotspot. They form one of the world’s eight “hottest” hotspots of biological diversity and were inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site due to their exceptional ecological and biological processes and high levels of endemism and threatened species [1]. Texts describing India’s biodiversity hotspots explicitly list the Western Ghats (together with Sri Lanka) as a major hotspot, highlighting centres of diversity such as Agasthymalai Hills and Silent Valley and a wide range of forest types from tropical evergreen to deciduous [2]. While the Eastern Himalayas are also identified as a hotspot in India, the Western Ghats best match the conventional designation “ecological hot spot” used in such questions [3].

Sources

1. [1] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > Western ghats as a World Heritage site > p. 57
2. [2] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > Himalayas and east and south east Asia > p. 9
3. [3] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > Himalayas and east and south east Asia > p. 8