From Map to Mobilisation: Updating Biodiversity Hotspots

By Anders Holm, CEO at Hempel Foundation.

Can a map change the world?

We believe so — if we can mobilise around it and build a blueprint for global action.

More than two decades ago, the concept of biodiversity hotspots transformed global conservation. It introduced a powerful idea: that biodiversity is not evenly distributed — and that by focusing on a relatively small number of places, we can protect a disproportionate share of life on Earth.

This insight reshaped how conservation priorities were set. It helped direct funding, research, and action towards the areas where investments could deliver the greatest impact.

For more than 25 years, biodiversity hotspots have guided conservation efforts worldwide.

But the world has changed.

Pressures on nature have intensified. Biodiversity loss has accelerated at an alarming rate. At the same time, the science has advanced dramatically. Today, we can understand ecosystems, species distributions, and extinction risk with a level of precision that was unimaginable when the original framework was developed.

That is why a global update of biodiversity hotspots is now underway.

Over the coming months, leading scientists and conservation organisations will develop the next generation of the hotspot framework, bringing together an astonishing array of biodiversity and conservation data.

At the Hempel Foundation, we are also beginning to try to build a broader ecosystem around this work: the partnerships, platforms, and global engagement needed for biodiversity hotspots to become the world’s leading reference point for conservation action and mobilisation.

Why the framework must now be updated

The scientific foundation behind the current hotspot map has not been comprehensively updated in more than 25 years.

In that time, both the pressures on biodiversity and the tools available to understand it have changed profoundly.

We are now operating in a fundamentally different world:

• The global human population has increased by more than 35%
• Around 14% of the world’s remaining forests have been lost
• The annual rate of deforestation has more than doubled
• The IUCN Red List Index, which measures aggregate extinction risk of species, has deteriorated by approximately 10%

This creates an urgent need for a shared, scientifically robust understanding of where conservation action can have the greatest impact.

A step change in data and scientific capability

Just as pressures have intensified, our ability to measure biodiversity has advanced dramatically.

The original hotspot framework relied on datasets that were groundbreaking at the time — but limited by today’s standards.

We now operate with an entirely different level of insight, including:

• More than 170,000 species assessments through the IUCN Red List
• Over 47,000 tree species assessments alone — a sixfold increase
• High-resolution spatial data mapping biodiversity and threats with far greater precision
• Advances in remote sensing, ecological modelling, and geospatial analysis

This fundamentally changes what is possible.

We are moving from broad identification of important regions towards a far more informed understandingof where conservation action can reduce biodiversity loss — and where investments can generate measurable impact.

For the first time, we are not only identifying where biodiversity exists, but where action can most effectively reduce extinction risk.

From measuring biodiversity to measuring impact

Equally important is how conservation priorities can now be analysed.

The original framework focused on species endemism, and habitat loss. These remain essential. But today, we can go significantly further.

New analytical approaches strengthen the link between conservation action and measurable outcomes:

• STAR (Species Threat Abatement and Restoration) Quantifies how much extinction risk can be reduced through specific actions — linking investment directly to impact.
• GTA (Global Tree Assessment)
  Mobilises IUCN Red List assessments of the extinction risk facing more than 47,000 tree species
• EDGE (Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered)
  Identifies species that are both highly threatened and evolutionarily unique, helping preserve entire branches of the tree of life.

Combined with improved ecosystem data, this represents a critical shift:

From asking:
“Where is biodiversity?”

To asking:
“Where can we reduce extinction risk the most?”

In a world of limited resources, that distinction is decisive.

A global scientific collaboration

The scale of this effort reflects its ambition.

The update is led by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Hempel Foundation, in collaboration with:

• Botanic Gardens Conservation International (BGCI)
• Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF)
• Newcastle University
• Re:wild
• Zoological Society of London (ZSL)

Together, this consortium, supported by an Expert Reference Group, brings together unparalleled scientific expertise, global datasets, and implementation experience.

It also builds on the contributions of thousands of experts worldwide through the IUCN Red List — ensuring the framework is grounded in both global science and local knowledge.

From a map to a platform for action

The opportunity extends beyond science.

At Hempel Foundation, we believe biodiversity hotspots can become more than a prioritisation framework. They can become a global platform for action and mobilisation.

While the scientific work continues, we are already building the foundations to support that ambition.

Together with partners, we aim to:

• Increase global funding for biodiversity conservation
• Direct resources to where they can have the greatest impact
• Strengthen public understanding of biodiversity and extinction risk
• Connect science, finance, civil society, philanthropy, and practice
• Share knowledge and tools across the conservation community — with a focus on supporting grassroots actors

Our ambition is clear:
to make biodiversity hotspots the world’s leading reference point for conservation action, investment, and collaboration.

From prioritisation to mobilisation

Twenty-five years ago, biodiversity hotspots changed how the world prioritised conservation.

Today, we have the opportunity to do something even more important:

To mobilise around it.

The scientific update is underway and expected to be finalised in early 2027.

While researchers build the next generation of biodiversity prioritisation, we are building the ecosystem around it — the partnerships, visibility, and momentum needed to translate scientific clarity into global action.

Because better science alone will not save biodiversity.

Mobilisation will.