A Museum and a Haven of Diversity for Woody Plants: Hyderabad’s WG

A recent study by the Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB) looked at the evolution of plants in the Western Ghats region of India. The Western Ghats has a high diversity of woody plants, with over 60% being endemic. The Southern Western Ghats region has six times more species than the northern Western Ghats. The study shows that the Western Ghats hold tremendous evolutionary diversity and is important to protect, especially the southern region, which is an engine of plant diversification and persistence. The results of the study can be used to help protect existing protected areas in the landscape that are facing severe anthropogenic stress.