Human Population and the Hotspots Revisited: A 2010 Assessment

Abstract

Using updated global population datasets from what was available in 2000, this chapter presents a revised assessment of human population numbers and growth rates in the biodiversity hotspots and tropical wilderness areas (TWAs). From 2000 to 2010, human population in the hotspots is projected to have increased by 187 million, to a total of almost 1.5 billion people. Human density in the hotspots in 2010 is estimated at 99 people per square kilometer, up 15% from 2000. While the TWAs are less densely populated than the hotspots, averaging 13 people per square kilometer in 2010, the human populations there are growing much faster: the annual growth rate averaged 3% per year – more than twice the rate for the hotspots. Despite the increases in absolute numbers and growth rates that are above the global average, the growth rates in both the hotspots and TWAs have declined over the last decade. The aggregate numbers are somewhat misleading, however, because the demographic patterns are heterogeneous from one region to another. This analysis examines both the inter- and intra-regional differences in population trends within the hotspots and TWAs, and concludes with a discussion of the relationship between population growth and development and how we as a species may influence these trends in the future.