UGC NET Questions (Paper – 1)

Biodiversity hotspots are regions with unusually high numbers of endemic species that occur nowhere else, and where much of the original habitat has already been lost. This combination of uniqueness and vulnerability means further loss could cause many extinctions, so these regions are priority areas for conservation.

Option A:
Option A is correct since it explicitly combines high species endemism with a high degree of threat. This matches the widely used conservation definition of hotspots.

Option B:
Option B is incorrect because low diversity and low human pressure do not fit the hotspot criteria; hotspots are species-rich and under severe pressure.

Option C:
Option C is incorrect as hotspot status is not based only on large mammals or the absence of people; plants, amphibians, invertebrates and overall endemism are also crucial.

Option D:
Option D is incorrect because legal protection or the presence of species records are not the defining criteria. Many hotspots have both protected areas and rich documentation but remain highly threatened.