Arborophila torqueola (hill partridge)
Pyrus pashia (wild Himalayan pear)
Illustration by K Anandakuttan
Highlighting the Himalayas: a “biodiversity hotspot”, meeting a high threshold of unique life (more than 1,500 endemic plant species), and habitat loss (more than 70%). Inspired by the season and familiar verse… and science. This partridge in a pear tree lives in the distant Himalayan foothills.
There are 34 biodiversity hotspots around the world. To learn more, I suggest:
http://www.eoearth.org (Encyclopedia of Earth)
Norman Myers, “Hotspots: Earth’s Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions” is the basis for international conservation efforts