WHERE WE WORK
HotSpot Patrons strives to address the global biodiversity loss crisis in the most effective way possible. While we are just getting started, our goal is to work worldwide within Conservation Imperatives located within Biodiversity Hotspots
What this means is that we will be working in the most biodiverse yet simultaneously threatened biomes (areas of similar vegetation type) and within those biomes we will focus on the specific areas identified as Conservation Imperatives by Dinerstein et al. (find in “Relevant Research”)
In other words, our work will be targeted on the little over 1% of the terrestrial area of the Earth that has been identified as the most critical for global biodiversity protection.
Our Pilot Projects
Our pilot projects are in Brazil, with a grouping of private nature reserves within the Cerrado and Atlantic Forests biomes - both Biodiversity Hotspots with many Conservation Imperatives sites.
Why start in Brazil?
The country of Brazil contains almost 20% of Earth’s terrestrial species biodiversity, including two Biodiversity Hotspots and has five of the top ten ecoregions in the Neotropics for Conservation Imperatives sites. Brazil also has a well-established and respected national system of private nature reserves.
Making the Connection
HotSpot Patrons prioritizes the protection of lands that border existing protected areas and those that connect one safe haven (protected area) to another. This helps ensure the long-term survival of species and landscapes by allowing movement from one animal population to another and maintaining functional ecosystems. Private nature reserves can be key in making these connections (corridors) and buffers.
Advantages of Private Protected Areas
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Much faster and less complex to establish than public protected areas
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They are protected “in perpetuity”- forever, as the protective status becomes part of the property deed
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They are less vulnerable to local or national politics and/or politicians than public protected areas
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