Understanding the biodiversity of our planet is critical for developing conservation strategies. This series of datasets shows the biodiversity of birds, mammals, and amphibians. Said simply, these maps show how many kinds of birds or mammals or amphibians live in each area around the world. These maps look at just the animals on land and don’t include any marine animals. Also included are corresponding maps of where the threatened species live, the ones at greatest risk of extinction. Knowing where these threatened species live can help direct conservation efforts to ensure that the places with the most vulnerable species are being protected.
The species data for this dataset comes from BirdLife International and includes the 1,308 species that are classified as threatened with a high risk of extinction, which is about 14% of known species of birds. The species at risk concentrate in those areas of the world where high biodiversity and human impacts collide, such as the Brazil Atlantic Forest, Andes, southeast Asia, and some oceanic islands.
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