IB ESS HL 3.2.8 Hl Biodiversity Hotspots Questions
Evaluate biodiversity hotspots as priorities for limited conservation resources.
- Syllabus
- First assessment 2026
- Course
- ESS HL
- Level
- HL
Exam points
- explain why biodiversity hotspots combine high species richness or endemism with severe threat of habitat destruction
- link climate, topography, habitat diversity, isolation and ecological niches to high biodiversity in tropical and other hotspots
- evaluate why conservation need may be greater in some biomes by balancing biodiversity value, threat level and human pressures
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IB ESS HL 3.2.8 Hl Biodiversity Hotspots Questions question 1
[Maximum number: 9]
To what extent is the need for conservation more significant in tropical biomes?
The following guide for using the markbands suggests certain features that may be offered in responses. The five headings coincide with the criteria given in each of the markbands (although "ESS terminology" has been conflated with "Understanding concepts"). This guide simply provides some possible inclusions and should not be seen as requisite or comprehensive. It outlines the kind of elements to look for when deciding on the appropriate markband and the specific mark within that band.
Answers may include:
- understanding concepts and terminology of biodiversity;
conservation strategies;
tropical biomes;
rainforests;
swamps;
coral reefs;
hotspots;
LEDCs \& MEDCs;
international v national conservation bodies;
environmental value systems;
productivity;
carbon sinks;
global warming;
unsustainable exploitation;
resources of tropical ecosystems;
medicines;
indigenous cultures;
endangered species;
Red List, etc;
- breadth in addressing and linking threats to biodiversity with different societies, ecosystems, conservation strategies;
the global dependence upon and significance of tropical biomes compared with others;
implications of economic development in tropical regions with challenges of conservation;
different EVS perspectives on reasons for conservation, etc;
- examples of tropical biomes/ecosystems;
their local societies;
conservation efforts;
reasons/needs for conservation, etc;
- balanced analysis evaluating the extent to which conservation efforts are of particular importance for tropical biomes along with relevant limitations and counterarguments, etc;
- a conclusion that is consistent with, and supported by, analysis and examples given eg "although the loss of any species may be considered of equal significance from an ecocentric point of view, the high productivity and biodiversity that characterize tropical biomes, along with the limited facility of local societies, which are often less developed, make tropical biomes a priority for international conservation efforts";
Please see markbands on page 18.
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