Consider the following statements : 1. Biodiversity hotspots are located only in tropical regions. 2. India has four biodiversity hotspots i.e., Eastern Himalayas, Western Himalayas, Western Ghats and Andaman and Nicobar Islands. Which of the statements given above is/are correct ?

Statement 1 is incorrect. Biodiversity hotspots are not confined to tropical regions; recognised hotspots include temperate and non-tropical areas such as New Zealand, Polynesia/Micronesia and South‑Western Australia, indicating a wider global distribution [1]. Statement 2 is also incorrect. Standard sources list four hotspots that include Indian territory as: the Himalaya, Indo‑Burma, the Western Ghats & Sri Lanka, and Sundaland (the book lists these four), rather than separate “Eastern Himalayas” and “Western Himalayas” as two distinct Indian hotspots or a standalone “Andaman and Nicobar Islands” hotspot as stated in the question [3]. The Himalayan hotspot is treated as a single Himalayan region in the source, not split into two separate Indian hotspots [2].

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. [3] Environment, Shankar IAS Acedemy .(ed 10th) > Chapter 15: Protected Area Network > 15.11.2. Indian Biodiversity Hot Spots. > p. 222
3. [2] Environment and Ecology, Majid Hussain (Access publishing 3rd ed.) > Chapter 4: BIODIVERSITY > Himalayas and east and south east Asia > p. 8