Assessment of a new hotspot for plant biodiversity in the Mediterranean basin (North Africa)

The concept of biodiversity hotspot at the regional and global scale has contributed to the improvement of the conservation strategies. The need for precise evaluation is often hampered by lapses of knowledge in some Mediterranean regional hotspots. The objective of the present work is to analyse the diversity of endemic and rare flora in the northern part of Algeria. According to the bibliographical data that are available, the most remarkable areas for endemism are the Oran's coast, the Great Kabylia, and the Small Kabylia. As far as rare species are concerned, coastal Numidia comes first, then the Algiers surroundings. This group 'Kabylias-Numidia-Kroumiria' comprises an unrecognised regional hotspot, made of forests, mountains and coastal ecosystems and threatened by human activities. In the face of growing threats, it is urgent to reinforce national and international policies of conservation and to cooperate for a better floristic knowledge of all the areas mentioned above. To cite this article: E. Véla, S. Benhouhou, C. R. Biologies 330 (2007). © 2007 Académie des sciences.