Megadiverse countries

Also called: Megadiversity countries, Mega diversity centres · Topic: Biodiversity and its Conservation · NCERT: Class 11, Ch 14 "Biodiversity and Conservation"

Meaning

Megadiverse countries are the small group of countries that hold a very large share of the world's plant and animal species inside their borders. Most of them lie in the tropics. NCERT lists 12 of them. Conservation International's list (1998) has 17, and together these 17 hold about 70% of all species on Earth.

It matters because a few countries guard most of the planet's living wealth. Most of them are developing countries, so the idea links conservation with fairness. Who gets the benefits when a company uses one of these species?

Explanation

Why some countries are so species-rich

• The tropics come first. The tropics are the belt between the Tropic of Cancer (23.5°N) and the Tropic of Capricorn (23.5°S).
• There is strong sunlight and rain all year, so plants grow fast all year round. This is called high primary productivity (the amount of food plants make from sunlight).
• More plant food creates more niches (different ways for animals to live and feed).

• More niches mean more species.

• Isolation adds unique species. Islands and separate hill ranges keep groups of plants and animals apart.

• Each group evolves on its own.

• The result is high endemism (species found naturally in only one region and nowhere else).

• Large size and many climates. A big country with deserts, forests, mountains and coasts has room for many kinds of species. This is why the USA and Australia are on the 17-country list even though most of their land lies outside the tropics.

The two lists: 12 and 17

• NCERT (12 countries): Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Brazil, DR Congo, Madagascar, China, India, Malaysia, Indonesia, Australia.
• Conservation International (1998), 17 countries: this list is based on Mittermeier et al. (1997). It adds 5 more countries to NCERT's 12:
• the Philippines
• Papua New Guinea
• South Africa
• the USA

• Venezuela

• The Government of India says that India is one of the world's 17 megadiverse countries (2025) [2]. NCERT says India is one of 12.

India's place among them

• Small land, big share. India has only about 2.4% of the world's land area, but it holds about 8% of the world's plants (flora) and 7.5% of its animals (fauna) [2].
• High endemism. About 28% of India's plants and more than 30% of its animals are endemic [2].
• Two very rich mountain zones:
• In the Eastern Himalaya and the Western Ghats, 32–40% of vascular plants are endemic. Vascular plants have tubes that carry water and food, for example ferns and flowering plants [3].

• In the Western Ghats, more than 50% of reptile, amphibian and fish species are endemic [3].

• About 30% of India's biodiversity is found in the Western Ghats [4].

From a list to a negotiating bloc: the LMMC

• The Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC) is a group of species-rich countries that negotiate together under the CBD. The CBD is the Convention on Biological Diversity, the treaty signed at the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro.
• Cancun Declaration (Mexico, 2002): the group asked for an international system to make sure that the benefits from using biodiversity are shared fairly and equally [6].
• This idea is called access and benefit-sharing (ABS).
• Under ABS, a company that uses a country's plants, animals or traditional knowledge (for example, to make a medicine) must first get permission and must then share the profit.

• This demand later led to the Nagoya Protocol (2010).

• India took over the chair of the LMMC in February 2004 [5].

• The group was still active in the talks that produced the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework. It issued a declaration on 7 December 2022 at CBD COP15 [8].

Where it occurs

The 17 megadiverse countries by continent

Continent	Countries
Americas	USA, Mexico, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru, Venezuela, Brazil
Africa	DR Congo, Madagascar, South Africa
Asia	India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia, Philippines
Oceania	Australia, Papua New Guinea

• Americas: most of these countries lie in the tropical belt, for example Brazil, Colombia, Ecuador and Peru. The USA is the main non-tropical member.
• Africa: Madagascar is an island in the Indian Ocean, off the south-east coast of Africa. It broke away from the mainland millions of years ago, so its species evolved in isolation. About 85% of its plants and animals are found nowhere else. Lemurs are the best-known example.
• Asia: India, China, Malaysia, Indonesia and the Philippines.
• Oceania: Australia (mostly outside the tropics) and Papua New Guinea.
• Inside India, species are concentrated in parts of 4 of the world's 36 hotspots [2]:
• Himalaya: the whole Indian Himalaya.
• Indo-Burma: north-east India, east of the Brahmaputra.
• Western Ghats and Sri Lanka: the Western Ghats (Sahyadri), running from the Tapi river to Kanyakumari.
• Sundaland: the Nicobar Islands only, not the Andamans.

Don't confuse with

• Biodiversity hotspot: a hotspot is a region, not a country. It must have at least 1,500 endemic vascular plants AND must have lost at least 70% of its original habitat [7]. A megadiverse country is chosen for its total species wealth, and its habitat does not need to be under threat.
• Like-Minded Megadiverse Countries (LMMC): this is a negotiating group under the CBD that pushes for access and benefit-sharing [6]. It is not the same as the 17-country list. For example, Kenya was an early LMMC member [6], but it is not one of the 17 megadiverse countries.
• NCERT's 12 vs Conservation International's 17: both lists include India. Only the 17-country list includes the USA, South Africa, Venezuela, the Philippines and Papua New Guinea.
• Species richness vs endemism: species richness means how many species an area has. Endemism means how many are found only there. Megadiversity mainly measures richness. Hotspots are measured by endemism plus threat.

Prelims Hooks

• NCERT: 12 megadiverse countries. Conservation International (1998): 17, which together hold about 70% of the world's species.
• The 5 countries that are on the 17-country list but not on NCERT's 12: USA, South Africa, Venezuela, the Philippines, Papua New Guinea.
• Trap: the USA and Australia are megadiverse even though most of their land lies outside the tropics. Their large size and wide range of climates explain this.
• India: about 2.4% of world land, about 8% of flora and 7.5% of fauna; about 28% of its plants and more than 30% of its animals are endemic [2].
• LMMC: formed through the Cancun Declaration (2002), focused on access and benefit-sharing [6]; India became chair in February 2004 [5]; the group issued a declaration at COP15 on 7 December 2022 [8].
• Pair: Madagascar → about 85% endemic plants and animals → lemurs.

Mains Points

• Why megadiversity clusters in the tropics (GS-I):
• Heat and rain all year → high primary productivity → many niches → many species.
• Isolation on islands (Madagascar) and in separate hill ranges (southern Western Ghats) → species evolve apart → high endemism.

• Large countries with many climates (USA, Australia) are the exception that proves the rule: variety of habitat can replace tropical location.

• Megadiversity and equity (GS-III):

• Species-rich countries are mostly developing countries, and companies from rich countries often use their genetic resources.
• Through the LMMC's Cancun Declaration (2002), these countries demanded fair access and benefit-sharing [6]. This shaped the Nagoya Protocol (2010) and the LMMC's position at COP15 in 2022 [8].

• India chaired the group from February 2004 [5], which shows its leadership role.

• India's responsibility (GS-III):

• India holds about 8% of the world's plants and 7.5% of its animals on only 2.4% of the world's land [2]. So losing habitat here costs the world a large share of its species.
• The Western Ghats hold about 30% of India's biodiversity [4], yet a final decision on protecting them is still pending. The Gadgil panel (2011) and the Kasturirangan group (2013) gave different advice. This shows the conflict between conservation and development inside a megadiverse country.

Related concepts

• Biodiversity hotspot
• Madagascar hotspot
• Biodiversity hotspots in India
• Western Ghats and Sri Lanka hotspot

Read more

• Megadiversity countries and biodiversity hotspots