Biology · BIODIVERSITY AND CONSERVATION

Biodiversity hotspots are globally designated regions prioritized for conservation. Consider the following quantitative and qualitative features: (i) They exhibit very high species richness (ii) They show high degree of endemism (iii) They cover less than \( 2\% \) of the Earth's land surface (iv) Strict protection of these hotspots could reduce ongoing mass extinctions by almost: Fill in the blank with the correct value:

1. A
   \( 10\% \)
2. B
   \( 30\% \)
3. C
   \( 20\% \)
4. D
   \( 50\% \)