A megadiverse country is one of a group of nations that harbours the majority of Earth's species and high numbers of endemic species. Conservation International identified 17 megadiverse countries in 1998,[1][2] all of which are located at least partially in tropical or subtropical regions.
Megadiversity means exhibiting great biodiversity. The main criterion for megadiverse countries is endemism at the level of species, genera and families. A megadiverse country must have at least 5,000 species of endemic plants and must border marine ecosystems.
- ^ Williams, J. (2001). "Biodiversity Theme Report". environment.gov.au. Archived from the original on December 8, 2008. Retrieved October 2, 2019.
- ^ "Megadiverse Countries definition| Biodiversity A-Z". biodiversitya-z.org.